Research, Then Vote

Elections are next Friday and as valuable as it is to vote, I think it is important to remember that a vote is meaningless unless it is well researched. I actually wrote this as an opinions piece for the Concordian before I realized that the Concordian isn't printing this Friday...

If you don’t know who you are voting for on Tuesday and why, getting educated should be at the top of your priority list this weekend. These elections will have very real implications on all of our lives, and there is no excuse for not caring about them. And caring is more than showing up to vote on November 2nd. Caring means taking the time to understand what you believe and to find the candidates who most closely share those beliefs before you go to the polls.

A lot of progress has been made in the past two years. Significant reforms mean that healthcare is more accessible for everyone; perhaps the most relevant change for us right now is that we are now covered under our parents’ insurance until age 26. Tax credit loopholes that allowed companies to exploit tax laws by operating overseas have been closed, meaning that more jobs will be available here in the United States for students like us after we graduate. Student loan reforms have eliminated banks as middlemen in the loan process, meaning more money can be awarded to college students through Pell Grants. Car companies have been required to increase the gas mileage of their vehicles, and billions of dollars have been invested in clean energy technologies, an important first step in ensuring that our generation and generations to come have an earth to inherit. Hate crimes law has finally been expanded to include crimes committed based on sexual orientation or gender.

That is just a small sample of the substantial progress Congress has made over the past two years. The results of Tuesday’s election could mean moving further along that line of progress, or it could mean halting and undoing the changes that have been made.

When large-scale reforms have been passed in this country, citizens have historically voted out the progressive party before allowing the benefits of those reforms to fully take shape. As a collective, voters are perpetually dissatisfied with what they have. They vote by what they don’t want rather than vote for the causes they believe in. This election, let’s not be so flighty. I encourage you to take the time to think deeply about what you truly believe in and vote for the candidates whose principles most closely match your own rather than simply following popular trends.

No matter how busy you are, making time to properly research the candidates who will be on your ballot must be a priority. Start by looking online to see who will be on the ballot in your district. CNN has a great election website. Once you know your options, research them. Go to candidates’ websites and read their issue statements. Read editorials written about candidates. Look up incumbents’ voting records on key issues of importance to you. Go into the voting booth on Tuesday confident that you’re choosing the candidates who will move our country in a direction you can agree with. Your vote means nothing unless you really know what you are voting for.