Many people vote every year but not all know who they are voting for and what they are advocating. This is a major issue in society and has even brought up thoughts of banning voting rights and making them privileges.
To start off, one needs to know the importance of their voice in society and how big of an impact it can have on the United States as a whole. The importance of one’s vote and opinion is huge and is demonstrated by history: Martin Luther King Jr. started to speak up alongside many other African Americans that lived with unjust laws, the Seneca Falls Convention was held as the first woman’s rights convention, and many more arisings occurred because of one thought or vote.
One vote can decide who is going to be the next president or even decide on which laws are passed, but if society is not aware of this, no one will be able to take voting seriously. This emphasizes the need for citizens to understand the importance and the gravity of voting.
After the importance of one’s vote is explained, the importance of knowing what one is voting for should be addressed. Many voters all over the United States barely know who they are voting for. This can partly be because of propaganda since people are always saying to “go out and vote” but none are saying “know what you’re voting for”. This idea should be more popular and arise more often because if one does not know what they are voting for, the wrong people can be in power.
Another major issue in voting is the idea of being biased. Although I personally have nothing against Barack Obama, our first ever African American president, he can be seen as voted for just because of his race. Race, however, is not the only factor that causes people to prefer one candidate over another. Race, names, physical features, gender, age, and even attire are examples of what people sometimes use to pick a candidate.
In order to prevent these events, everyone should play a role in educating one another if possible or even just reminding them to research about candidates before voting.
Esther Jung, Grade 10
Grover Cleveland Charter High School
