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Millennials and the Political Process

Outline

1. Every vote matters.

2. Millennials make up a significant percentage of voters, about half.

3. Ethnically diverse and open-minded generation.

4. They can become civil servants to represent their views.

5. Young people hit hard in the recession, issues like college debt and healthcare, unemployment matter to them.

6. Start voting early to make it a lifelong habit.

7. It is easy to be an educated voter; social media is awash with information about candidates.

8. Voting affects the future, adulthood responsibilities such as buying homes, healthcare. Policies by current leaders will affect this.

Millennials often take very little or no interest at all when it comes to political issues. There are several reasons for their disinterest, the first of these being that they feel that politics do not affect their lives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Politics affect every area of our lives today. This has been clearly shown in President Trump’s presidency where people have been divided along many lines, and the nation’s unity has been threatened. Policies enacted by the government affect every area of citizens’ lives including education, healthcare, and taxation among many others (Johnson). It is time for millennials to sit up, take notice and actively engage in politics to safeguard their futures and their dreams.

The first reason as to why millennials should become involved in the political process is that every single one of their votes matters. In a country with millions upon millions of voters, it is easy for someone to think, but mine is just one vote. If everyone else votes then the one vote will not count. If every single millennial adopted such a mindset, there would be trouble for the voting process known as voter apathy (Quaranta 796). In the 2016 election, the fact that every vote counts came to be seen clearly. While the president did not win the popular vote, he won the Electoral College votes. Had more people turned out to vote perhaps the outcome may have been different. Many leaders such as Senator Al Franken of Minnesota in 2009 have won elections by a very small margin.

The second reason as to why millennials should become a part of the political process is that they make a significant part of the voting population. The population of millennials is fast growing and will soon outnumber the baby boomers. Their large numbers mean that they cannot afford to sit back and let others make decisions for them (Oakley). They should take advantage of their numbers. Millennials can swing the vote in the direction that they please because of the large part of voters that they make. Given the fact that they are capable of determining the election, it would be unwise not to stand up and be counted in the political process.

Millennials come from diverse backgrounds in terms of race, ethnicity, education, mindset among many other factors. This means that their opinions are quite diverse as well. For this reason, their interaction with people of different backgrounds has enabled them to be open-minded. Older generations may have grown up with people of the same mindset that renders them incapable of open-mindedness that the millennials posses. Because of this diversity, millennials are poised to have liberal opinions on matters affecting them today (Miller). They should, therefore, be involved in the political process to ensure inclusivity and diversity in leadership.

In recent years, we have seen the age of civil servants become younger and younger. In the past civil servants were assumed to be old people and this is one of the reasons that millennials have been mostly disinterested in politics. However, it has been seen that young people are equally capable of being outstanding leaders and making the right policies in their areas of expertise. The young people taking up leadership positions in the political sphere means that they can advocate for matters that are important to their peers and ensure that they make their voices heard.

Millennials are the hardest hit by economic crises such as recessions. This is because they make up a large part of the population. Problems such as healthcare, unemployment, and debt affect them the most. Most students in college take federal loans to help them finance their education. After college during times of recession, they might find it hard to get employment that will help them pay off their loans. Because of problems like these, young people should play an active role in the political process. They must ensure that the leaders they vote for will advocate for policies that will make their lives better.

To develop a lifelong habit of voting, it is crucial that millennials start voting early on in life. As with any other practice, it should be formed early so that as one grows older, it becomes natural for them to be a part of the political process. The first time that a person vote is a significant milestone. It brings with it a feeling of responsibility and the young voter feels that they are making their voice heard (Oakley). As one grows older and takes part in election cycles, they get more familiar with the process, and they are more informed about the matters concerning them in politics. They will, therefore, be more interested in the political process in the future and it will grow to become a habit.

Another reason as to why millennials should be interested in politics is that they cannot claim ignorance. Information concerning the political process and candidates are readily available on all forms of media, both social and mainstream (Young). During election seasons, the media takes time to disseminate information and make the voter as informed as possible. With the availability of data, the millennials have no excuse to remain aloof. They can make an informed decision quickly and easily and thus lend their voice to the political process.

Millennials should be a part of the political process because it affects their future. It is normal for millennials to assume that the current crop of leaders has no impact on their lives. This is a misguided view. While today’s leaders may seem to have no effect on their lives, the policies that the leaders make today have potentially long term effects. There is every reason for millennials to be actively involved in the political process as it will undoubtedly affect their lives in the future. Policies relating to areas such as healthcare, education, employment, housing, and taxation affect the life of every citizen (Miller). Millennials should ensure that they use their numbers to vote into office those leaders that they feel represent their interests both in the short term and in the long run.

Perhaps the most important reason as to why millennials should be a part of the political process is because it is their constitutional right. All citizens have the right to vote. It is their right as well as their responsibility to vote into office leaders to represent them at the local and national levels. Exercising this right ensures that millennials safeguard their voice in government and also that their interests are articulated and expressed. They cannot afford to ignore politics as every aspect of their lives is influenced by politics.

From these arguments, it is clear that millennials have every reason to be a part of the political process. The world today is controlled by politics; hence every citizen should make sure that they have a say in the leaders that are chosen to represent them. The fact that they make up such a large part of the voting numbers in the country means that millennials have a big say in politics and leadership of this country. Voter apathy is quite rampant among the millennials (Quaranta 801). Political candidates should, therefore, ensure that they woo the young people by educating them on the relevance of politics to their lives. During political campaigns, those candidates who have been popular among the younger generation have a higher chance of winning (Young).

Millennials can no longer afford to ignore the political process. Their large and growing numbers means that their interests are at higher stake in the political process. Many policies that are passed in the political process affect their lives; hence they should be educated to make the best decisions possible. Every single vote matters in an election hence the idea that one vote does not count should be done away with. The world today is governed by politics, and it affects relationships with other people. Divisive politics have been shown to cause strife and hatred among people of one country. With the diversity among millennials, they are in the best position to bring unity and elect leaders that have the best interests of the country at heart.

Works Cited

Johnson, Meghan. “Milennials: The unspoken generation.” Veritas 1.1 (2015): 6.

Miller, Carly. “The Great Divide: How UC Students See Politics in 2017.” (2018).

Miller, Kiki. Beyond the Ballot: An Examination of the Role of Social Media in the Political Participation and Political Socialization Process of Millennials. University of Colorado at Denver, 2017.

Oakley, David. “The Millennial Generation and Alternative Political Behaviors: An Examination of Political Participation Among Modern Young Americans.” (2017).

Quaranta, Mario. “An apathetic generation? Cohorts’ patterns of political participation in Italy.” Social Indicators Research125.3 (2016): 793-812.

Young, Brittni Jamaeka. “Millennials: Redefining Engagement in Politics.” (2015).