UMass Lowell Connector Logo

Hit the ballots, young America

Shayna Vigliotta

Conector Contributor

Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Presidents are selected, not elected.”

Our thirty-second president of United States made a good point–we have that power and privilege to vote.

Some students argue that their lack of voting is because they feel it will not make a difference when the young adult population makes up a portion of the voting demographics. President Obama has said young adults’ action to vote is important in his blog post on Median when he said, “One of the reasons I’m so confident about America’s future is that I’m confident in you.”

Science major Chloe Castellano believes voting is important. “You may think that your specific vote may not directly influence the decisions that are made, but they will help make a decision based on who you truly think will be the best fit for running our country with the nation’s entire population in mind,” she said.

Young adults say they are increasingly becoming more aware of the presidential debate in decision of who their preferred candidate is, and candidates seem to understand that reaching them through social media may be a good strategy. Accounting finance major Christa Mixon feels more involved in the campaign because of the candidates’ social media presence. “It’s a main source of where we get a majority of information on current topics,” said Mixon.

Students are voicing their concerns of issues they hope to be addressed by the next president of the United States. “Education is the most important issue to me because I am terrified of putting off the rest of my life after college because of student loans,” said Meaghan Roche, a psychology major. “When life does continue, I’m scared my kids will go through this twice as bad if the cost of education rises.”

Although student loans are a major concern for college students, they also connect their worth of education to other relevant issues. “Candidates have been promising to cut back on student loans, but we need someone who will help the economy, increase job opportunities and create a better and more reliable welfare system,” said Marissa McLellan.

For many college students, the 2016 presidential election would be the first time in which they are old enough to vote. Four out of five students had said that they would vote for the next president. Castellano said she feels strongly about young adults’ involvement in politics. “Students should absolutely be involved in the campaign because we are the ones that are going to have to live by the standards and laws put in place by the candidates being voted for,” said Castellano.

Other students, however, admitted to having interest in the issues covered in the presidential debate rather than its own candidates. “I am probably not going to vote in the next election because I am uneducated in politics and don’t see myself becoming knowledgeable anytime soon,” said Dalton Richards, a business administration major.

Related posts