By: Efran Zhao

I believe that voting is one of the most important democratic rights and that citizens should exercise it. Although voting is a choice, choosing to not vote gives up the very power that makes a democratic country special.

People complain about bad leaders all the time and think that their opinions aren’t heard. But most of the time they are the ones not voting and letting others determine who wins. Only the people that vote determine the results and the leaders that you get. Voting is the best way for people to be heard.

Many people don’t vote because they think it wouldn’t matter anyways, but every vote counts. In the 2020 Presidential election, a record of 156.4 million votes were cast, but even then, it was still only 68% of the voting population. It was that 68% of the population that determined who won. Even fewer voters turn out for the midterms and local elections. According to the Pew Research Center, the US also trails behind many other countries in voting age population turnout, being ranked 31st out of 50 countries.

According to an NPR poll, nonvoters also usually had lower education and received lower wages than those who voted. Usually, people only vote if they feel that they would make a difference. One nonvoter said in an interview, “I know it’s kind of a stupid thought, but I feel like one missed vote isn’t going to change anything.” If all those people were heard, then maybe the voting circumstance in America wouldn’t be as bad today.