Top 10 Reasons Young People Should Get Out & Vote

The 2014 Elections are less than 100 days away, so what better way to exercise your civic duty than by voting, and encouraging people to vote.

10. It Takes 18 Years to Proudly Rep. the "iVoted" Sticker

Anchorman / Via gifrific.com

There are very few things that you can do when you turn 18. As a new "adult" you can officially buy a pack of cigarettes, get into 18 and over clubs, join the military, and vote in elections! That means society has officially deemed you as worthy and responsible enough to elect the leader of the free world, no pressure! So why not exercise that right, and get excited.

9. It Took 194 Years to Secure This Right

Community Gif / Via isthiswhyimstillsingle.wordpress.com

From the founding of this nation on July 4, 1776 until the ratification of the 26th Amendment on March 23, 1971 large and significant groups of people weren't able to vote. It took a few wars, the abolishment of slavery, women's suffrage, desegregation, Jim Crow, and young people to say, "HELL NO! We want votes", and get us all electing folks. I would say like fine wine we should take advantage of the time spent to make our right a right, right?

8. The 65+ Crowd Is Beating Us to the Polls

Via Seniorgif.com

According to the Pew Research Center's data from the 2012 elections, young people aged 18-29 accounted for a whopping 19% of the votes compared to 71.9% of those aged 65 and over. This demographic is also considered the most reliable group of voters out there. They are rolling deep to the polls shortly after/before sunrise breakfast at IHOP. However, we millennials now account for 25.5% of the age-eligible electorate. By 2020, we will be 36.5%. In total, 22-23 million young people voted, in the 2012 election, and we need to carry that momentum even further.

7. It's Empowering

Soul Train Gif / Via tumblr.com

(Note: this is actually how I feel when I walk out of the polls voting for my favorite candidate.) Voting is empowering because depending on the race, majority rules! When voting for President, a lot of the focus is on the electoral college, and getting " 270 to win". But the majority candidate that citizens vote for, means the electoral college are given to that candidate for the state. For these 2014 elections, we'll be voting for United States Representatives, Senators, Governors, and in some places state judges where your one vote can shift who wins and who loses. There is a lot of power in that -- remember those middle school elections where you didn't win? Yea, too many people voted for that other person, which resulted in your loss? (Yes, I'm still bitter).

6. Your Student Debt Depends on it

Via quickmeme.com

In June 2014, a bill was voted on in the Senate the, "Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act", sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that would have let people with federal and private loans issued prior to 2010 refinance at 3.86 percent--the interest rate that Congress set for federal student loans a year ago. The bill did not receive the 60 votes needed to advance legislation on the Senate floor, it lost by four votes. Now, how does our debt depend on it? We are drowning in $1.2 trillion dollars of student debt, and four Senators kept us from refinancing. Guess what, we vote for 33 new senators this election. Imagine if there were four Senators elected who would have gave us the 60, think of the possibilities.

5. Throwing Out Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act Affected Young People Too

Via Demos.org

Even the Notorious R.B.G. (a name so brilliantly coined by Shana Knizhnik) emphasized the importance of the Voting Rights Act, in her passionate dissent in Shelby County v. Holder . While Section 4 was used to combat discrimination and prejudice in states with a history of racism, this decision has had an affect on all citizens, including young people. In 2013, North Carolina passed a bill that drastically changed the voting procedures in the state, including but not limited to shortening early voting by 1 week, eliminating same day registration and provisional voting if at the wrong precinct, preventing counties from extending poll hours by one hour on election day in extraordinary circumstances (like lengthy lines), and eliminating state supported voter registration drives and preregistration for 16/17 year olds. Think about it, how many times do we move from place to place and don't know our precinct? We're being affected, and don't even realize it!

4. You Can Get Off Work Early Or Come In Later

Via media.giphy.com

While it may not be a federal law for employers to provide time for their employees to go vote, many states have implemented laws that provide the buffer zone of either leaving early or coming in later. In the great state of California there is a state law, "California Elections Code § 14000" to be exact that states, " Voters may take time off at the beginning or end of a shift to allow for sufficient time to vote, with up to two hours of that time being with pay." It is a win-win, getting paid to go vote? Not every state is like California, but check out www.findlaw.com/voting-rights-law.html to see if your state has a provision about working and voting to prepare for the November elections.

3. You Elect More Than Just the President

Mean Girls / Via globaldebateblog.blogspot.com

Many people have issues with voting because they say, "it doesn't matter", which is false! You vote for not only the President, but Senators, U.S. Representatives, state judges, School Board members, Governors, Prom Queen and a whole slue of very important persons. For many of us who may use our court system, a lot of the state judges are elected. A verdict can twist your life upside down or right side up because the judge may have been backed and voted for by a group of people with particular interest and values. All of these people have an impact on YOUR life, and make decisions for YOUR state that in turn affect YOU. #VoteResponsibly

2. It Affects You In Your Everyday Life

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart / Via media.giphy.com

I don't think I can stress this enough. Case in point: The Affordable Care Act. While in 2012 the Supreme Court decided that The Affordable Care Act was constitutional, they did not, however, find that expanding Medicaid was appropriate unless it was optional. The decision for states to expand Medicaid then landed in the hands of the governors or the state legislatures. Currently, there are 24 states that have decided not to expand for some reason or other, who were elected by the citizens in their states. In a crazy chain of events, elections, and depending on the state that you're in-- you may or may not be covered, which in turn can affect your health, which can affect you getting up and going to go vote on November 4th.

1. Our Vote Matters

Napoleon Dynamite / Via giphy.com

As cliche as it sounds our vote actually matters. There are 46 million of us who are eligible to vote, compared to 39 million seniors who are eligible. As the years progress that number will only increase with new millennials popping out millennial babies. Our votes matters so much, that in the 2008 elections the youth vote made a huge difference in Indiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. For example, if every eligible person under 30 hadn't vote, those three states would have shifted from Blue to Red, and changed the game for Presidency. That's how much we matter to these elections, it's crazy! I have found that to encourage people to vote, I not only have Facebook conversations, and write buzz feed articles on why its important, but play some Jamiroquai and dance around in support of my favorite candidate.