Letter: Voting Makes Voices HeardLetter to the Editor,
07:05PM / Wednesday, June 17, 2020 | |
To the Editor:
In 2016, only 55.7 percent of eligible voters in the United States made it to the polls to cast their vote. For young people, the numbers are even lower: only 46.1 percent of people aged 18-29 cast a vote. How can we pride ourselves on being the greatest democracy in the world when half our nation has no say in the political process?
It's true that there are massive systemic barriers to voting — voting locations often have strict voter ID regulations, there's a lack of language access for immigrants, many voting locations have reduced of limited voting hours, and many working class and middle class people simply don't have time to vote — but another part of the problem is ideological: Americans have lost faith in their government to serve their needs and do what's best for them. The leaders of our country represent the opinions and beliefs of only a privileged few, while the majority of Americans look on, powerless, as their lives are decided on by those in positions of authority.
The only way to solve the issues in our government, our political process, and our country is to make our voices heard. Whether it's a local, state, or national election, each of us has a civic duty to vote to make our government work for us the way it's supposed to.
Nicholas Servedio
New York City
Servedio is a rising junior at Williams College studying English.
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