Do you have a plan for the upcoming election? Visit https://vote.mit.edu/ to register, learn how to vote in your state, and even request personalized voting help to make sure your voice is heard this November!
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by Shruti Ravikumar
For the past couple of months, I’ve been working with an organization called #iVoted – a non-partisan initiative that allows anyone who sends in a selfie outside their polling place or holding their blank voting ballot to receive access to the #iVoted Festival (an online concert series on election night with over 500 artists/acts currently participating, including Young the Giant and Jukebox the Ghost). The reasoning behind this initiative:
- In some states, such as Michigan, the 2016 Presidential Election was decided by 10,704 votes (the size of an average concert venue)
- Although, the percentage of voter turnout amongst 18 to 29-year-olds is slowly increasing, in 2016 only 46.1% of the age group voted, as compared to 70.9% of citizens 65 years and older, 66.6% of 45 to 64-year-olds, and 58.7% of 30-44 year olds
- In 2019, nine out of ten individuals between the ages of 18-34 have attended a live event (such as a comedy show, concert, dance performance, etc.), illustrating just how important the entertainment industry is to this age group
Initiatives such as iVoted, HeadCount, Rock The Vote, The Campus Vote Project and so many more have been working hard to register young adult voters and encourage them to voice their political opinions. According to BBC, some of the reasons why 18-29 year olds don’t turn up at the same rates that older voters do include the fact that it’s not always easy to vote and it’s hard to see the difference that a vote actually makes.
Although the United States has a long way to go before voting is easily accessible for every citizen, there are many resources and organizations that are attempting to fight this battle, including the Campus Vote Project which works towards reducing barriers to student voting. Furthermore, during the pandemic, many states are offering the option to vote-by-mail which allows individuals to vote at a time that fits into their schedule instead of trying to fit a trip to the polls into their daily routineschedule on election day.
With regards to the importance of a vote, in these times, it is imperative that every single voter voices their opinion on political issues – whether it’s a national issue such as racial justice or climate change, or a local issue such as conservation efforts at a local park. Y, your voice matters and has an impact on future decisions. In 2000, George W. Bush won the pivotal state of Florida by only 537 votes, meaning that youth voters have the potential to be the tipping point in some states during this election! Furthermore, elected officials oftentimes aren’t as inclined to address issues of importance to younger voters (such as the college debt crisis, the income gap, climate change and much more) if they know that young adults aren’t going to vote in the first place.
Take the time right now to make sure you’re registered to vote and set aside some time to vote via mail- in ballot or in person on election day. And don’t forget to take a picture with your blank ballot or outside your polling place to get access to the #iVoted Festival!
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Do you have a plan for the upcoming election? Visit https://vote.mit.edu/ to register, learn how to vote in your state, and even request personalized voting help to make sure your voice is heard this November!