Many of my peers and I are in the unique position to have the option to elect the very first female president of the United States the very first time we vote. Yet I’m not certain any of us are particularly equipped to do so.
I would like to be able to boast a fairly sufficient amount of political knowledge for my age, but, faced with actually having to vote, I’m wondering if what I know is enough. Truthfully, I only know whatever I can glean from watching and reading the news every so often and asking adults questions when I’m curious.
Soon, we will be in the thick of presidential campaigns, and I’m beginning to realize that I wish I had learned more about how to navigate the complex process of voting and becoming informed about today’s issues — at least informed enough to call myself qualified to help elect the president, that is.
From a young age, my family encouraged me to think about political issues. (This included forcing me to watch several State of the Union addresses.) I’ve always looked forward to the time when I could vote.
Now that time is just over a year away, and I have to say I am overwhelmed and somewhat intimidated.
Of course, there’s the whole matter of registering to vote. Where does this happen? When? How? What about Colorado students who, like me, may attend college out of state? How do I get an absentee ballot?
Those are some pretty significant questions. Then there are the issues themselves. I know my way around the country’s social issues, and certainly have strong opinions about those. But when it comes to things like this “difficult job market” and other problems facing our nation, I am close to clueless about what to do.
That’s what candidates are supposed to do, right? They present their solutions and try to convince you of their effectiveness. Then, you evaluate them and make the best decision you can, based on the information you’ve received.
But why do adults always have such strong opinions about which politicians lie, which news networks are biased or inaccurate, etc.? How do we sort fact from opinion?
For teens whose parents have taught them little about the political process, voting may prove even more intimidating, and maybe not even worth the effort. That’s all up to the grown-ups anyway, right? Running our country? Let them take care of that. Maybe we’ll vote in the next election.
I, too, am guilty of this occasional apathy. But at 18 years old, we are grown-ups all of a sudden, scary as it seems. There is no more of this “leave it to the grown-ups” nonsense. And we are just as capable and responsible for maintaining this country’s political system — at least we can be.
Any time is a good time to implement widespread education that allows young people to discuss current events, learn about complex issues and the voter-registration process, and evaluate various candidates and political parties, objectively.
I so wish that had been an integrated part of my public education. With it, the number of informed young voters in Colorado and across the country would increase substantially, and young people would be more equipped to unleash their passionate opinions (yes, those do exist in 18-year-olds) and inflict real, positive change.
Olivia Friedman is in the class of 2016 at North High School.
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