Voting is a privilege students should use

Crosslin Silcott

The League of Women Voters works with interested students during flex hour to help register them to vote.

Sara Geiger, News Editor

Young people all over the world are taking charge and changing people’s perception of the youth and more importantly, bringing light to serious issues.

Greta Thunberg is one of the most well-known and influential climate change activists in the world at just 16 years old.

David Hogg co-founded the group March For Our Lives that leads anti-gun violence marches and protests all over the U.S.

Jaden Smith, 21, co-founded JUST Water, a company that supplied Flint, Michigan, with clean water in sustainable bottles, and is working on installing a water filtration system for the entire city.

Some young people are also making a difference on a smaller scale like David Ledbetter, a 17 year old high school student who made the national news for registering people to vote while waiting in line for a Popeyes chicken sandwich.

It’s becoming more common to see students stepping up, speaking out and making a difference in something that matters to them. However, you don’t have to start a movement to make a change. Educate yourself about current events, stay updated on the news and form your own opinions on things you care about. Most importantly, make sure to register yourself to vote and show up on election day.

According to the U.S. census, the voter turnout of 18 to 29 year olds in the 2016 election was a little over 46 percent, which was the lowest of all age ranges. This is a stark comparison to the 70 percent of people 65 and older who voted. Young people make up the majority of the population and the least amount of voters.

The issues people are voting on most directly impact the lives and futures of today’s youth, so young voters are needed now more than ever.

The vast size of the younger generations enables them to have the power to sway the election. It is the right of all Americans to have a say in what happens or does not happen in our country. If you want your voice to be heard, you must go out and vote.