This Tuesday, citizens 18 years and older will have the opportunity to cast a ballot in this year’s midterm elections. With all 435 seats of the House of Representatives and 37 of the 100 seats of the Senate in contest, this election will play a significant role in determining the composition of the 111th U.S. Congress. Many might define this election as a referendum on a Democratically-controlled Congress. Others will suggest that it will be viewed as a mark of approval or disapproval for President Barack Obama. Still others will see it as just another day of the week (though this is most unfortunate). Whatever it may be, the importance of this day cannot be understated.
As the youth of this nation, we hold an incredibly powerful sway in determining its trajectory. This too cannot be underestimated. We are in the prime of our lives. Not yet corrupted by the drudgery of the 9-to-5 workday, not yet made dull by political correctness and not yet having sacrificed our creativity for uniformity, we are the shapers and not the shaped. Our vote is a necessary vote. Without it, this country will be steered not by the unbridled enthusiasm of our best and able minds, but by worn and tired hands. Our voice must not be muted by an overwhelmingly aging voting bloc. Who is to say their voice is louder than mine or yours? Together, let us take hold of the reins of this country. It is ours for the taking, not theirs.
If there is anything that can be gained from this election, it is that we will live to see it through. In time, we might look back on the day when we took part in something; instead of crying about it, we did something about it. Perhaps our work will have been in vain, but at the very least we got our hands dirty. Sitting on the sidelines will amount to nothing. It does not matter how lofty your opinions may be. Opinions are weightless; they are ever-changing and ever-fleeting. No one should take seriously the individual who moves his lips at a swifter rate than his feet.
I have spoken with many of my peers who say, “Voting doesn’t matter — it never changes anything.” But by subscribing to this mindset, you are subscribing to apathy. An apathetic citizen is no citizen at all. A citizen who fails to exercise his or her constitutional rights is failing the country, and by failing your country you are failing yourself. No one should have to force it upon us to learn about the candidates or about the issues. Our forefathers would be pained to discover such a disinterested youth.
Voting does not constitute an endpoint; it is but one step in the democratic process. You cannot simply slap an American flag on the back of your car and call it a day. If none of the candidates appeal to you, fine. Vote for yourself as a write-in. Maybe then you will hold yourself accountable. But if you don’t show up on Nov. 2, you can count on sitting on the bench for the next two years. After all, bench players make for great critics and lousy performers.
Steven Spinello is a junior economics major. He can be reached at spinello at umdbk dot com.
