Since the recent 2016 US elections, young adults and teens all over the world have become more engaged in politics. From protesting in the streets, like during the Women’s march or the more recent Climate March, to just tweeting political opinions. We’re so passionate about social justice issues, so why aren’t we as passionate about voting?
In the 2010 UK election, only 55 percent of 25-34-year-olds and 44 percent of 18-24-year-olds voted. In the US, millennial voting rates have never exceeded 50%. Millennials feel like politicians won’t do anything for them and won’t take their opinions into consideration. And for the most part, they’re right. Politicians are more likely to introduce right-leaning policies, as it may appeal to the older generation. Politicians listen to the older generation’s opinions more simply because they vote more. Baby boomers are the ones that will get them elected, considering that 70% of baby boomers vote in US elections. This will never change unless millennials vote more and more each election. Young people like change and they like it to happen fast. But it’s gonna take a few years of more politically engaged millennials for politicians to catch on and realise we’re the voters they should be catering towards.
Other reasons for young adults being discouraged to vote could be because only half of millennials consider themselves to be patriotic, so they might not care what happens to their country or its government as much as baby boomers. Also, Only 19% of Millennials see themselves as trusting people, unlike 40% of baby boomers. Millennials lack of trust suggests why they don’t feel encouraged to vote because if you don’t trust your government, you’ll never believe that they can really make a change. Young people still support interracial marriage, marijuana legalization and abortion more than any other generation. It’s not that they don’t care about the issues, they just don’t think their opinions will make a difference.
To be fair, some politicians have tried to become more appealing to millennials. During her campaign in the US elections, Hillary Clinton aggressively tried to become more “relatable” to the younger generation. Almost too aggressively. Clinton went as far as going on The Ellen Show to do the popular “Whip and Nae Nae” dance, it’s almost too cringy to watch. She also made an embarrassing reference to Pokemon Go. The problem with this is she’s dumbing us down to memes and apps because that’s how seriously she takes young people. Her approach obviously didn’t work, because well, she lost (With only 55% of 18-29-year-olds voting for her).This is another example of how politicians don’t value or understand our opinions. But don’t let this discourage you. Be the change you want to see in the world. And if you want to help, there’s a pretty big election coming up.
The UK general election is on June 8th, and this time, young people can make a difference. Even though voting can seem like a hassle, it’s surprisingly easy to register to vote. If you’re over 18 and eligible to vote in the UK, you must register before May 22. You can register HERE. It usually takes about 3-5 minutes. If you need more convincing on who to vote for and why visit this link HERE. For more information on your local MP, you should check out this helpful website HERE.
Remember, your vote does matter!
