Why Is It Important To Vote

Being only 17-years-old, I am not qualified to vote, especially any time soon. Voting isn’t something I’ve been worried about either. I don’t have to take on that responsibility. The things that people decide tomorrow will either hurt or help me, but what can I do to stop them? If I were to vote right now, my vote will not be heard. My opinions don’t matter, nor will they ever. People from past generations believe that I’m “just a kid who needs to stay in their place”, and I agree wholeheartedly. Why should I care about a world that doesn’t care about me?

To be completely honest, depending on the level of which I would be voting, whether it be locally, state-wide, or nation-wide, my vote only has a minor impact. People tend to forget that our lawmakers can only do so much. Of course, they make the laws, but not everything is perfect the first time around. Most laws must go through several different drafts before they reach the public’s eye. Even then are they not the finished product. Voting on the local level is the only way to have the most impact. We should start by electing officials with our same ideals for things to change. After all, what is the point of voting in the first place? We vote to change the things we don’t like or agree with.

Around 40 percent (almost 93 million) of American eligible voters didn’t vote in 2016. Imagine how everyone who has ever fought for the right to vote would react upon witnessing those numbers. Although it is a right, doesn’t mean that it is mandatory. Voting has always been something that people have held to be of importance. I believe that voting can only solve so many problems that we face. If you don’t know what you’re fighting for or against, how can you go to the polls and decide that future of thousands of lives. I also believe that people choose to remain uneducated on the topics that do affect people on a large