Misc

Being Ready to Vote

Being Ready to Vote

Do you vote on class president? Do you vote for homecoming court? How is your prom queen or king chosen? Do you get a vote during class for certain activities? You’ve probably been voting since a young age, and you just never thought about what that truly means. It means you have a voice. You get to decide somewhat of what the outcome of something is. It may be a collective vote where your choice didn’t win, but at least you got the option to vote in favor or against something.

When I was in high school I never imagined myself voting, whether that meant for state elections or for presidency. I never cared much about politics or what that meant for me. Somehow, I found myself in a situation where my vote would have counted had I chosen to give my input on something. My friends wanted to decide what we were doing for the evening, and they all took a vote. There were seven of us, but I chose not to say anything, because I didn’t want to come off too picky. The vote totaled out with three wanting to go ice skating, and four wanting to go to the movies. I really wanted to go ice skating, and had I voted we would have had to come to some other option.

It may seem silly that I’m relating my vote for what to do on a Saturday night versus voting for a president, but it does make sense. It was something that I wanted to do and chose not to do anything about. There are probably times where you critique the president in power or say something negative about a local judge or governor. You have the power to do something about it. It all starts now, when you’re young and are not quite old enough to vote. You should be doing research on the candidates, look into how there run in office may shape your future.

If you think about it, the older generation in power get to say what the younger generation can and should do. We can make a difference in how our future is shaped by voting when we are old enough, or by being aware of our surroundings while we’re still young. You could probably check with local candidates and try to join their campaign teams. You might not be old enough to vote yet, but that does not mean you can’t know the candidates well enough to voice your opinion to those who can vote.

Here are some links to check out regarding voting and campaigns:

  • If you are 18 or older and live in Alabama, you can register to vote at this site: https://sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/register-to-vote
  • If you are 18 years or older and live in a different state than Alabama, go to google and type in: register to vote in [your state].
  • Alabama political parties: https://ballotpedia.org/Political_parties_in_Alabama
  • If you want to volunteer for someone’s campaign: look up their information on google, search their website for volunteer opportunities. If there are no volunteer options on the site, then call the number they have listed at the bottom of their web page.

sarah

Sarah is a UAB student and an intern for GirlSpring.

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