First-time Voters

With the presidential election coming up, there is a whole new generation of first-time voters. 

It’s obvious that the 2020 election has become prominently more important for both political parties, this is due to a lot of different causes. From the reignition of the fire that is racial injustice and inequality to a deadly pandemic, that has killed close to 220 thousand people in the US alone.

With what feels like an apocalypse, who will the people of the US vote to lead us through this historic time and come out better on the other side? 

But it’s not just adults who have to live in this world, young people, like high schoolers, have to still live through and have no true counted vote because they aren’t old enough. 

Now, this has been a problem ever since you had to be 18 to vote in elections, but it is more prominent now due to this very vital election, and that goes for both major parties.  

In such a controversial and significant election, this has a lot of young people disheartened that they can’t vote and have their opinion counted.

Yet just because they can’t vote doesn’t mean they can’t be a part of democracy and exercising their political rights. 

Tally Shaver, the senior, worked over the summer and into the year with a local representative campaign, Kelly Morrison.  

“I was looking for something to do over the summer, I hadn’t been super into local politics but I’ve been working with Kelly Morrison’s intern team since May,” Shaver said. 

Kelly Morrison, represents district 33B, in the western twin cities area.

“I’ve been amazed at how much of an impact I’ve made by just talking with normal people,” Shaver said. “Because no matter who the president is, they can’t represent every single person. But your state representative, or any local official, can care about more of an individual population.”

Even if you don’t want to back a specific candidate, teenagers can work at a polling place as an election judge. 

It’s not just students being independent and taking action, but schools as well.

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, HHS held a mock election. It was presented as a google form with all of the presidential candidates that would be on the ballot this election. 

“74.69 percent of HHS students voted for Democratic candidate, Joe Biden. While 9.92 percent voted for the reelection of President Trump. The highest of the other candidates was Kanye West with 9.70 percent,” according to the 2020 HHS Mock Election results.

It’s especially important for schools to collect this data because it helps the staff and students see the political diversity within the school.

It is amazing that schools do this because education in the importance of politics is critical. 

The education of politics is extremely important, and that goes for wherever you stand. Whether you are liberal, conservative, independent, or have no idea where you stand, the choice and act of exercising your political right, we seem to forget is an extreme privilege. 

As much as the US and our political system are not perfect, we are extremely lucky to have democracy as our form of government. We should be grateful we get the right to choose who leads us. We are privileged to not live under a monarchy or dictatorship like in some parts of the world.

No candidate will be able to satisfy everyone, that’s obvious. But choosing someone who you believe can lead the people of the US is a great gift that we have. 

With generation Z being so politically active, it only proves that when they are able to vote, that their choices will be sure they are choosing for the better of everyone.