Editorial: If young people want influence, they should vote
Should they choose to use their power, young people between the ages of 18 and 29 could essentially rule the nation's politics by 2020.
If you are a middle-aged suburban voter terrified of losing your influence, however, take some comfort from this: If previous trends are any indication, the kids won't bother to vote.
In 2016, one of the most fascinating presidential campaigns in history, fewer than half of college undergraduates participated in the election. Two years before, in the 2014 midterms, only 12 percent of undergrads bothered to vote.
Today, the majority of the electorate is made up of Gen Xers, Millennials and Gen Zers, but Baby Boomers and their elders vote much more frequently. Therefore, who controls the nation's politics? They do.
A recent Washington Post analysis indicates the number of registered voters aged 18 to 29 has not changed much since the Parkland High School shootings, the tragedy that was supposed to energize the youth vote.
Statistics indicate that by the next presidential election in 2020, about 27 percent of the U.S. electorate, or 54 million people, will be between 18 and 29. As far as elections go, that will be a meaningless statistic unless hordes of young people choose to use their power. And what better time to practice wielding that power, than the 2018 midterms?
Tuesday's election will decide which party controls Congress for the next two years - whether Republicans will be able to double down on their agenda or if Democrats will, at least partly, take the wheel.
Whatever side of the political divide you are on, history has shown than when you vote, you matter.
Your older self will thank your younger self. If everybody was at Woodstock who claims to have been there, the state of New York would have tipped over into the Atlantic. Too late, a lot of Baby Boomers realized that music fest was a touchstone of their generation.
Similarly, at some point, young people, you'll realize that the political firestorm of 2018 required you to stand up and be counted. Don't be a disappointment to your future self - vote no.
Clearly, the nation needs you. A Pew survey recently discovered that younger people are better at distinguishing fact from opinion than their parents and grandparents. That's an important distinction in these fact-challenged times.
Even if you aren't registered to vote yet, you can register on Tuesday and vote at the same time.
Unlike older generations, you are the ones who have grown up making public service a part of your education and your life. Don't fail us - or yourself - now.