The Non-Vote

Kacper Jucha 23’

As teenagers of BHSEC, most of us very quickly get accustomed to politics. So far this election has proven to be a very tense one. As of November 5th, both candidates still have a chance of winning. As the reader, you most likely now know the winner -- congrats to you! 

However, while this election remains decisive for American democracy, as teenagers most of us will not be able to vote until our last year of high school. Even then, the election must line up perfectly with your birthday for you to vote. This presents a dilemma that most high schoolers face: we voice our opinions, protest for equal rights, fight for stricter climate laws, and try to make the world a better place, but we lack the key action of voting. So what is it truly like to not vote? Well, put simply, it is frustrating. As teenagers we watch people who have different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences from our own walk into the voting booth with the opportunity to shape the future of this country because of their age. Meanwhile, we are left to helplessly voice our opinions through other means. Although a diverse group of people get to vote, the entire population (particularly younger people) never have their ideas voiced. Therefore, we can rely on the idea that what our current president in America was decided by older individuals who voted in the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s. As we watch these people decide our fate during each presidential election, we are all frustrated by our circumstances. We are left powerless in deciding our future. However, as we become frustrated, it is key to remember that as we gain the right to vote, the generation that comes after us will have their future determined by our decisions and not their own. Therefore, an endless loop of aggravated young people being unable to vote is formed. Soon, kids our age will decide the fate of future generations just as people who have come before us have decided the fate for our generation. There is no true end to this quite pressing cycle. Although being frustrated by not having the ability to vote may lead some to annoyance, we have to remember that everyone prior and ahead of us has waited the same amount of time to vote. While we want to voice our opinions and have a visible impact, we must consider that as we gain the right to vote, we will be deciding on the policies that will impact another generation. As much as not being able to vote is a frustration for teenagers who have strong opinions and are rooting for a specific candidate, waiting for the right to vote will most likely remain a dream until we each turn 18. Now tell me as I have been dying to know, who won the election?