Chances are that there is no way one can go a day without hearing about the 2016 presidential election between front runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Normally, I would ignore it all by changing the channel on the TV or just scrolling through my social media to avoid all the drama. But this year is different for me. This year I am making myself pay attention and keep up with the headlines to help myself make the executive decision: who will I vote for on November 8?
I turned 18 in September, giving me the right to vote in this year's election. I have never really been one to keep up with politics, I have always seen it as something that only grownups have to pay attention to. My parents moved to America from England in 1994 with Green Cards, giving them the ability to live and work here permanently but without the rights that a US Citizen’s have, for example the right to vote. Therefore my family never really paid attention to politics, it wasn’t a part of the conversation. It wasn’t until 2006 when my Dad got his US Citizenship while we were living in Germany, did politics start becoming something that we paid attention to in my house. But after this year there will be three voters in the family: my Dad, my brother and myself. The ability to vote is a huge responsibility and one that I do not take lightly. I will not just walked into that voting booth and vote simply to be against one candidate, or just to get that red, white and blue sticker. I will walk into that booth knowing who I will vote for because I educated myself and I will choose who I believe best represents what I want this country to be like.
Sounds easy enough right? I can watch the news, read the stories and then vote for who I like the best. Unfortunately, this year it is not that easy. These two candidates, Clinton and Trump, don’t exactly appeal to the Millennial Generation, those who were born from 1982 to 2003. Unlike Barack Obama, who captured the hearts of young voters. In part this makes my decision even harder because I feel that there is not a candidate that I can vote for with 100% confidence. And I want to be 100% confident in the next leader of the United States.
On one hand you have the right winged highly successful businessman who has vowed to ‘make America great again’. And on the other hand you have liberal former Secretary of State female nominee with over thirty years of political experience. So who do you choose?
When I think of a good leader, I think of someone who will not only be good for this nation but do good for the world as well. I want someone in charge who will not only care for their personal agenda but the nation’s. It is the citizen's responsibility to elect the person they deem fit. So spend the time to watch the presidential and vice presidential debates. Read the newspaper or download a news app, and get involved in our political system. This year, more than any other, it is important to go out and vote. With a race this close, you never know how much your vote can change an election.
Image Courtesy of libertarianism.org