“We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” – Thomas Jefferson
By Christopher Young-Stone, Staff Writer
When Election Day rolls around next month, 38 First Flight students will have celebrated their 18th birthdays by Nov. 3, making them eligible to vote for the first time.
Based on past presidential elections, only 15 to 20 of them will cast a ballot. Most young adults won’t vote in this election, with statistics showing that less than 50% of eligible voters, ages 18-29, decide to vote. And that number actually has been closer to 40 percent for most of the presidential election years since 1988.
“I most likely won’t vote and that’s just because I’m not into politics,” senior Samantha Leopardi said. “I don’t feel like I have enough knowledge about either side.”
Leopardi is not the only person who has this opinion, both locally and nationally. And even some of the 18-year-olds who do plan to vote struggle with figuring out their place in the American political system.
“I feel like the two-party system gives a lot of people like me who sit in the middle a really hard time deciding a presidential candidate,” senior Callahan Lutz said.
Lutz still isn’t sure who he’s voting for and doesn’t connect very well with either presidential candidate, but he plans to vote.
That’s an important first step. As teachers such as Jonny Waters point out in Civics and U.S. History classes, the revolutionary war was fought to break free of monarchies and gain the ability to vote. The United States has inspired democracy in nations all across the world.
“Don’t be convinced that your vote doesn’t matter, because it does!” Waters said. “We are relying on you all to carry the torch of democracy into the future.”
Christopher J. Saladino, an assistant professor of Political Science at VCU and president of the Virginia Social Science Association, offered an enthusiastic message to young voters everywhere.
“Follow the Nike principle and ‘Just Do It!’ For real… the trick is not to get so caught up in HOW to vote,” Saladino said in an email to Nighthawk News. “First, REGISTER. Then, get your mask, take the day off from school, work, or whatever, and GO to your polling place and cast your ballot – legally, safely and assuredly.”
Regular voter registration has ended in North Carolina, but new voters still can register and vote in what is called “same-day registration” at early voting sites between Oct. 15-31. Learn more about registration and polling places at the Dare County Board of Elections website. Information also can be found at https://www.vote411.org/north-carolina .
This year, with Covid-19 concerns, people are contemplating not only if they will vote, but how. Mail-in ballots are more appealing than waiting in lines at polling places for some people, but Saladino was ready with another helpful reminder:
“If you can go to a grocery store to buy ice cream, you are perfectly capable of doing your civic duty,” he said.
Both Saladino and Waters stressed that the most important thing for voters young and old is that they get out and vote – whether it’s early or on Election Day, through the mail or in-person – after researching the candidates and choosing the best person for each position.
“Without widespread civic participation and educated, informed voters, our society will not stand the test of time,” Waters said.
Sophomore Christopher Young-Stone can be reached at 23youngstoneme42@daretolearn.org.
