Due to the significance of this election year, Marquette students must exercise their right to register and vote in the 2020 presidential election.
According to the United States Census Bureau, young Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 years old have had the lowest voter turnout rate in presidential elections since 1980.
However, voter turnout rates spiked from nearly 20% in 2014 to 36% in 2018 for the midterm elections, showcasing the largest percent point increase for any age group.
We must make sure this momentum in voter turnout continues by voting Nov. 3.
Moreover, young adults are the largest generation, as millenials account for the largest living adult generation, according to the Pew Research Center. Therefore, we have an opportunity to make a significant difference.
Voting in this election is essential for making sure our voices are heard on the issues we care about.
From racial and gender equality to gun reform to climate change, young adults are leading the way in calling for societal and systemic change. We should not only discuss these issues privately, but also publicly and actively through voting.
The next president will decide how other issues, such as college tuition and loans, future plans on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and potentially nominating a justice to the Supreme Court are addressed in the future.
Marquette students must be politically active, regardless of their party affiliation.
Moreover, Marquette students should register and vote in Wisconsin because it is a swing state, which means that voters show similar levels of support between political parties. The uncertainty that a swing state brings to each election makes it that much more important to vote and ensure our voices get heard.
Before casting a majority of votes for Donald Trump in the 2016 election, Wisconsinites leaned Democrat, a majority voting for Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008 as well as former U.S. Senator John Kerry in 2004.
Considering the state’s voter history, it is important that students use their votes to educate themselves each candidates’ viewpoints and plans.
Students should utilize resources like the Marquette University voter information page, MyVote Wisconsin website or the USAGov website to gather information on what they need to register and vote. Marquette University Student Government is also partnering with TurboVote, which is an online service to help students get more information about voting.
If students don’t want to vote in-person on election day, whether they feel unsafe due to COVID-19 or will not have time, they also have the option to request an absentee ballot. If students decide to vote absentee, they should make sure to stay informed about deadlines for registering and requesting an absentee ballot as well as potential delays in the U.S. Postal Service.
In Wisconsin, the deadline to register to vote by mail is Oct. 14 and the deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 29 at 5 p.m. Students can register and vote on Nov. 3 at their designated polling place.
This November, we have the opportunity to make a difference.
It is up to Marquette students to vote in a candidate that reflects our ideals and vision for the future of our country. We have the power. We must use our voices and vote.
Editorial topics by the Marquette Wire are decided at weekly meetings between members of the executive board. The editorial is crafted with leadership by the executive opinions editor. The executive board consists of the executive director of the Wire, managing editor of the Marquette Tribune, managing editor of the Marquette Journal, general manager of MUTV, general manager of MUR and nine additional top editors across the organization.
