For many students, the 2016 election cycle is the first time you have had the opportunity to vote for the president of the United States. In the upcoming election, choosing a candidate will be no easy task. But, no matter what reasoning you employ to justify your decision, you really have two options: vote or don’t vote.
No matter what you choose, be sure you understand what that choice means.
It can be hard to vote. It’s hard to commit to a definitive stance on your own beliefs; it’s much harder to find a candidate with whom your beliefs align. Or maybe you buy into the “my vote doesn’t count” belief, which only makes the votes of those who do participate count more. Then there is the social stigma you acquire by signing away your support for a candidate.
So maybe you don’t vote.
But if you choose not to vote, understand what that means. If you don’t vote in this primary and the subsequent presidential election, you’ve missed an important opportunity to make a difference in the leadership of this country— no matter how small the difference may be. If you don’t vote, you’re not part of the problem, but you’re not part of the solution, either. Understand you are opting to give away your voice rather than face the consequences of committing to a stance.
However, there is a kind of voting that is just as detrimental as no vote at all. Don’t let your president be a part of your inheritance. Don’t vote for the person your dad believes would make a good candidate on that recommendation alone. Don’t vote for the person whose sticker is on your mom’s car. You, by turning 18 and registering, have declared yourself an adult. With that comes the responsibility to, at the very least, think for yourself.
The Daily Mississippian isn’t going to tell you to go vote. It’s not going to tell you not to vote. You should make that decision for yourself. But whatever you do today, do it with complete understanding and responsibility of your actions.
