As November nears and my time as a political virgin dwindles, I feel my adulthood beginning to take hold. This is a big year for me: Not only am I passing the two-decade mark, but I will be voting in a presidential election for the first time.
When I turned 18, voting was definitely last on the list of cool privileges that came with being an adult. I was too busy getting acquainted with college life, the booze and the boys and, of course, the school work, to register and vote in the 2006 gubernatorial race. I also don't think I was ready.
Like many young people, I was equipped with only my parents' opinions about how I should vote. I grew up in a bipartisan household; my mom's a liberal Democrat and Dad's a conservative Republican (how they're still together, nobody knows). Lucky for me, I was exposed to both sides growing up, and by exposed I mean witness to explosive debates in my own home.
When I finally settled in at the University of Florida and registered to vote, I felt informed enough to make a decision. It wasn't until the Democratic primary that I realized how not ready I was. I entered the voting booth prepared to vote for Obama, but when it came time to fill in the box next to his name I changed my mind. I ended up voting for Clinton, but I didn't feel good about it. The only thing I knew about either candidate was whatever I'd happened to overhear from someone else or on CNN. This led to an epiphany of sorts: I realized I had no idea what the hell was going on in politics. From there, I tried my best to figure everything out so that I'd be ready in November.
This is a hard thing to do in today's media climate. All the bickering and frenzied horse race coverage can make paying attention overwhelming, which is why many young people say to hell with it. As a journalism student, public affairs and current events are what I follow. I'm thrilled at the prospect of being included in the national dialogue, but like so many young voters, I'm frustrated with the number of my peers who couldn't care less about voting. At the same time, I can't say I blame them: We grew up watching the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the fiasco of the 2000 election, and during our coming of age we sat back as the Bush administration got us involved in a war our children will be paying for. In our history classes we learned about our most recent political past, including Watergate, the Berlin Wall and the war in Vietnam. It's easy to see why we don't trust the system or our elected officials.
What I've realized is that one vote probably won't make the difference in an election. But what comes along with voting — discussing the issues with your peers, looking at the facts, deciding for yourself who can do the job — is what's really important. It's safe to say young people want some things to change, so it's time we start doing our duty. That includes being informed, to make sure we're not ignored anymore.
