As this year’s election is forthcoming and almost in full swing, registered voters have begun the early voting process in several states throughout the nation. In their first year as legal adults, eighteen year-olds nationwide will join these registered voters to cast their vote, an exciting first. With Trump and Clinton running for office and the uproar surrounding this election, however, has the desire to vote and excitement faded? Will this next generation of adults even bother voting at all or will they feed the urban myth that their votes don’t count?
We turned to voting seniors and asked them about where they stand in regards to the election. Some are voting in remembrance of lives that were lost in obtaining the privilege of democracy.
“I am voting because it’s very important to vote,” said senior Danny Yerushalmi. “Many people died to get us our vote, and it is important to express your right.”
Senior Abraham Hilu shared a similar sentiment. “I am voting because people died for this right,” he said. “Of course, Florida is a swing state and every vote does count. The bigger the voter turn-out, the more successful the election will be, in terms of being fair.”
Voting senior Serina Motola expressed a different basis for voting: concern for representation.
“It’s very important to vote this election, since so many seats in the House and in Congress are up for grabs,” Motola said. “It’s very possible that there’s going to be a major turnover, but only if people actually vote.”
Despite a citizen’s obligation to vote and the multitude of reasons that justify this obligation, many place their faith in the urban myth that their vote doesn’t make a difference in the larger scheme of the election.
“I personally think a single vote of mine won’t matter,” said senior Avi Stein. “Polling never comes down to one vote.”
Other voters of this next generation had an opposing view.
“Every vote counts,” Yerushalmi said. “Obviously mine specifically won’t really make a difference but if 10,000 people thought that, it would make a huge difference.”
Barby Mohadeb shared a similar thought. “I am voting in this election because I was taught that every vote counts and I believe that every vote makes a difference,” she said.
The election, in reality, comes down to which of the two candidates is believed to be the lesser of two evils. Excitement has been replaced by fear and apprehension and it appears to be that these seniors are trying to make the most of the direction America is headed for.
“Vote for the person that will give us a less fatal disease,” Hilu said. “Yeah, seeing this country on the verge of chaos is so exciting.”
By: Raquel Zohar (10th Grade)
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