While you do not legally have to cast a ballot each year, abstaining from voting does not let you avoid political consequences. In a country with such dramatic polarization, in which things feel like they will never change, things truly will never change without sustained investment in making a change. A.K.A. please just vote.
A lot of times, U.S. elections feel like we have to choose the lesser of two evils, especially when not casting a ballot keeps voters from counteracting the “worse” side. Political science professor Rhea Myerscough intermittently teaches a course called “Welcome to the Doom Loop: Voting and elections in two-party America.”
She acknowledged how overwhelming following politics can be, especially when trying to decipher the actual political positions of candidates.
“I think you see it showing up in candidates running under the label of one of the parties, but being like, ‘I’m not doing politics,’” Myerscough said. “The outsider shtick has gotten very popular, but you have insiders running as outsiders just to put a guy on a truck and be like, ‘I work with my hands, and I’m not doing the Washington thing.’ If we could actually have candidates running outside of the support of either major party, I think that would build some other options, and also force a third-party candidate.”
Since the U.S. works on a first-past-the-post system, where the first candidate who receives the majority wins, it is unlikely that other political parties will become prominent. This opposes what we often see in various European countries, where ranked-choice voting is in place, which allows multiple candidates with various levels of views to be considered.
In the type of political system we are stuck in, voting becomes even more crucial. Chloe Grubb, a senior political science and psychology combined major, plans on studying law post-grad and is in Meyerscough’s voting and elections class.
She is currently following California’s 6th congressional district election for the class, chosen for the competitiveness of the race and after the 2024 redistricting of the whole state.
“Most people don’t necessarily follow elections that aren’t presidential, but it’s important to understand that other general elections are just as important,” Grubb said. “These elections determine the makeup of our Senate, House of Representatives and State Assemblies, who work to create policy that can make significant changes. You are voting for a candidate, but you are also voting for the future of policies and [our] future as U.S. citizens.”
Senior political science major Andrew Carles echoed the sentiments that voting for president will not make a majority of the impact on the state of our country. He explained that the U.S. was created from the idea of having a say in government, and changes happen in the other branches.
“You should care because it affects you directly,” Carles said. “There is no such thing as ‘not doing politics.’ Being educated and voting is a right and responsibility that falls on [all of us]. Gen Z has the power and numbers to enact the change we want to see, but only if we go out and vote.”
Small-scale and local changes are the starting point to change bigger issues in our country. Meyerscough seconded Grubb’s point, elaborating on how important it is to vote for local representation as well.
“I think organizing on a state-by-state level could actually create some real change and qualitative differences,” Meyerscough said.
We all have the power to make the world a better place; we just have to actually make an effort. Whether it’s your town’s school board or president of the nation, make sure to cast your ballots. Your voice matters.