By Hallie Gleeson, Opinion Editor and Staff Writer
Do you remember the School House Rock song we all watched in fifth grade about voting?
Excellent news: now you’re finally allowed to exercise your civic duty (aka one of the best parts about being an American citizen!)
On September 19th, tens of thousands of new voters were registered across the nation. This past National Voter Registration Day was one of the most popular since the nonpartisan civic holiday began. Nearly 1 in 4 eligible Americans are not registered to vote, meaning they are missing out on a chance to participate in our democracy and shape policies that affect us all.
The importance of the youth vote is a hot-topic issue that gets candidates from all sides of the aisle all sorts of fired up. Millennials are on track to be the largest percentage of voters—surpassing baby boomers—yet only 46% have actually cast a ballot. Gen Z, however, is already voting at a higher rate than previous generations. We have the numbers; we just need to actually get out to the polls.
To be eligible for the general election on November 7th, you must have registered by October 10th. By the way, if you’re from out-of-state, you have the option to vote either here in Kentucky or in your home state. You might consider which is more of a swing-state, as your vote could sway the results in a close race. (AZ, for example, was 49.4% Democratic voters and 49.1% Republican in the last election.)
Speaking of political parties, when you register, you’re given the option to select a party that aligns with your general beliefs. This affects your ability to select candidates during presidential primaries and caucus.
This upcoming general election isn’t midterms or a presidential vote, but it bears just as much, if not more weight.! After all, local and state policies can be drastically different from national policies. In Kentucky, several state positions are open, and each candidate has differing proposed resolutions to the issues facing our commonwealth.
P.S. Grab an iconic “I Voted” sticker.