ANTELOPE EDITORIAL

As the 2020 Election draws closer, I’d to encourage people to vote. As a nation, it is preached that our country is founded on the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. On our list of unalienable rights is also the right to vote. 

However, for young voters, it can be especially difficult to navigate through the bog of political jargon and questionable claims thrown about by candidates. 

The spending for political ads will reach roughly $10 billion in 2020. This is a shocking increase from the numbers seen in 2018 according to Group M’s global president of business intelligence, Brian Wieser. 

So far, New York City mayor and Democratic nominee, Michael Bloomberg has already spent $31 million on his campaign. Bloomberg also spent roughly $10 million on a one-minute-long Super Bowl. This amount matches the amount that President Trump contributed towards a Super Bowl ad during his first presidential campaign.

It becomes harder and harder to enjoy things without running into these political ads. The thing that scares me the most is that most college-aged adults don’t enjoy talking politics. I’m not saying that all political ads are bad, but it does seem to be increasingly obvious that fear of disagreement among young voters, paired with a lack of political knowledge, may cause young people to avoid voting completely.

People can point fingers all they want, but both parties thrive on building a campaign by attacking their opponents. Sadly, this has nothing to do with personal grudges or petty attitudes. It is just the path that politics has taken in the last several decades. 

Neither side makes educating their voters a priority, and unfortunately a majority of voters don’t find it important to educate themselves

Political mudslinging and unnecessary targeting of young voters and minorities has turned every election into a kickball game, in which each nominee picks and chooses who to target in their ads.The mission is to get them on their team. The second someone drops out of the race, another nominee is fighting over their voters to be their new pitcher. 

As a generation, we have the ability to produce a lot of good in the world. We are more than capable of making good choices, yet we allow ourselves to become bogged down with half-formed ideas and charge down blind alleys in an attempt to take a stand for something we don’t entirely understand. This results in a dangerously low young voter turnout. 

Our friends vote one way, and our parents vote another. In the meantime, we are so consumed with homework, jobs, papers and sports that we can’t turn on a TV long enough to watch and understand all of the words coming out of a candidate’s mouth. Instead, many rely on 30-second advertisements that tell us why the other party is wrong for the job.

Bernie’s proposition to raise minimum wage is something millenials love, but he also plans to raise taxes 52% to support his healthcare bill. This leaves those making a higher minimum wage with less than they had previously.

Trump, on the other hand, has kept a majority of his campaign promises, such as cutting taxes, and improving the overall financial health of the nation. 

Nonetheless, since Trump funds his own campaigns, he has full-reign to say what he pleases. This can sometimes hurt his cause, leaving some voters to feel that his discriminatory language has made a joke out of the presidential position.

The young people of our time need to pull theirselves through the mud of political ads and unrealistic claims. We need to learn to make decisions for ourselves. 

I get increasingly tired of hearing the dull roar of political debate day in and day out. It is not a bad thing to want to walk away, take a breath and allow yourself time to think.

My hope is that this uproar of presidential ads doesn’t keep young adults from voting in the next election. 

Remember that our generation makes up half of all voters in 2020. Whether it’s believable or not, every vote counts. 

Partially because was our generation was hit the hardest by the recession, it is important to make connections with politicians now. In a few years we may regret not letting our voice be heard.

Elections are an opportunity for the people to relieve the political turmoil created by the officials.