Here is why I think voting is important:

It may not seem like it, but government and policy impacts how we live our lives each and every day. I strongly believe that voting is the cornerstone of a positive society and a strong democracy. If we choose not to vote, we’re putting our lives in the hands of people we may or may not support and the policies that they create. These exact people write policies that will affect every facet of our lives like healthcare, social security, climate change, housing, poverty, student debt, and many more.

So in order to create and uphold a strong democracy, we need to choose the right people to solve problems such as these. And students such as ourselves are the most important in the election process. Our Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes recently said that if every student in Wisconsin voted this November, we would make up the second largest city in our state! That makes a HUGE impact on our election process.

It has even been proven that the lowest turnout rates in past elections have been younger voters and students. According to the Campus Vote Project, “Young adults (ages 18-29) made up about 21% of the voting eligible population in 2014, but voter turnout for this demographic has reached record lows in recent years.” Community college and tech college students matter even more because we share a close relation to the communities in which we go to school, live and work. 7.1 million students go to tech or community colleges across the U.S. With such a large student representation, we can make our voices be heard this election and help politicians create policies that help us all directly – like federal financial aid, student debt forgiveness, more funding for our school programs, and more jobs within our communities.

So get out there on November 3rd and let your voice be heard! Let’s preserve our democracy for generations to come.

WI Online Registration Deadline: October 14, 2020

Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

Learn more at:       myvote.wi.gov

Cortland Henning, MPTC 2020-21 Newman Civic Fellow