AJA SOURS; News Writer; soursan@plu.edu
Trump. Clinton. Johnson. Stein. These candidates have been talked about all summer, but the time has come to turn that talk into action. Washington’s deadline for online voter registration is Oct. 10.
Choosing the right candidate is not always an easy choice, but registering to vote is a vital step in making sure your voice is heard on Nov. 8 during the presidential election.
Currently, many millennials aren’t excited about voting.
Only about 19 percent of all voters in 2012 were between the ages of 18 and 29, according to research by Cornell University. This means voters older than age 29 are making most of the decisions that impact people of all ages in the U.S. and around the world.
This election has brought out new candidates, new challenges and new attitudes towards voting.
Grace Zimmerman, a first-year, said the current presidential candidates don’t make her want to vote. However, she also said she was registered and planning to vote because she thinks her vote makes a difference, even if it’s only one more voice in the conversation.
New voting services strive to make voting more accessible to millennials and increase voter turnout among young people.
Voter registration has now been made available through texting. A new chatbot, called HelloVote, was launched earlier this year “to help people register in about a minute by sending a few texts,” according to a CNN News article.
“Voting influences my life and the lives of my loved ones,” sophomore Natalie Brighton said.
Students like Brighton want to vote because they want their voices heard and they believe that their small vote can affect the future for themselves and others.
