In Blog: Factually Speaking

I turned 18 on July 9. Coincidentally that was the last day I could register to vote before the August primaries. As someone who has only had the right to vote for less than a month, I can say with certainty that this power comes with very little instruction. One day I was picking up my friends on my battery-powered ride-on Jeep Wrangler (see below) and the next I’m holding the power to influence American democracy (see below).

Before I go any further, I feel as though I should introduce myself to the readers of the League’s blog. I crossed paths with a wonderful English teacher in high school, Mrs. Laura Ross. I managed to squeeze my way onto her newspaper staff and soon thereafter took it over and led it as editor-in-chief.

I guess she must have thought that I was alright because after I graduated this past spring she accepted me as an intern at the League (her second job at the time, for clarification purposes). Hopefully, this time it will take a little longer before I take over the reins. Joking!

Most of the work I’ve done so far for the League has been migration from our old site to our new one. I know, sounds boring, but most of the time it’s not. Every so often I’ll read a post I’m transitioning and discover just how little I learned in AP Government—I mean, I can’t believe I thought that class was dark.

The point is: I thought I knew enough about what is going on in the world and in Michigan to hit the voting booths filled with my fair share of political efficacy. But I was wrong.

The other work I do for the League is help out with website problems and implement new ways to keep us looking clean and fresh on the always evolving world wide web. This sort of work comes pretty easy to me. Not just because I’m a genius (second joke), but because I am a part of Gen Z—the fidget spinning, juul-obsessed, Fortnite winning group of kids born and raised on the internet.

I bring up these special qualities of my fellow people because they show our true colors. We see what we want, do what we want and laugh at what we want. We live in the moment.

With our strength and our numbers, we could elect whoever we desired. The only problem is, for some strange reason, political participation is at the bottom of our agendas. So while we are off doing better things, old people are going to undo the Affordable Care Act and old people are going to deport immigrant families and we are the ones that are going to have to pay for it.

It is just a lot easier to show our voice now then to fix these problems later.

So stay informed. Follow a beneficial Twitter account (like @MichLeague), listen to Pod Save America or read a newspaper.

Come on. The media conglomerates won’t know what to do with this year’s “Why young people didn’t vote” story. It’ll be funny.

 

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