Voting is a given right to all American citizens once they turn 18, and voting is how the people select who is in power. Most citizens vote for people who will give them a better quality of life and improve their community. There are many people in the country who choose not to exercise their right to vote. No one is required to vote, but American citizens should feel obligated to vote, whether it is a local or national election. 

There are many reasons as to why someone may choose not to vote in local and national elections. A very common reason is that many people believe that their vote won’t amount to anything and it won’t make a difference in the election. Another common reason why people will not vote is because they are not into politics and do not care for it. In our country today, politics have divided the country and many friendships and families have been torn apart because of different political views. Seeing what politics does to some friendships and families could make any citizen not want to be a part of any election, because they do not want their relationships to be affected based on different political views. 

Although these reasons are valid, voting is something everyone should take part in. Voting is one of the key freedoms in America, and that is how many people try and make a change. Mason Ketcham, someone who voted in this year’s election, believes that voting is important because “every vote matters. Our country runs on democracy and we all have not a right, but a responsibility to vote. Every opinion and view should be counted.”  Even though some people believe that their voice does not matter, it does and it could make a big difference in the outcome of any election. 

In 2016, The Washington Post came out with an article written by Christopher Ingraham about the presidential election between Donald Trump (republican) and Hilary Clinton (democrat) explaining how “Roughly 43 percent of eligible voters didn’t bother filling out a ballot this year.” This data shows that about 100 million people decided not to vote in the 2016 election, but their voices could have changed the outcome of the election. 

Voting affects everyone, whether people exercise their right or not. For example, voting decides the outcome of people’s jobs, health care, and much more. Jobs are affected during an election, because when people vote, they are electing people that have the power to make decisions that affect income, job security, pay equity, and the health insurance provided by an employer. Voting also affects people’s health care because the people that are elected into power have the ability to reject or pass laws that will determine how citizens access healthcare. Voting affects everyone in the nation and the people must exercise their right to vote for the best interest of the nation and themselves. 

The best way to see change in this country is to vote, and to elect people into power who will fight for the greater good of the nation. As we go through another messy presidential election, many people have urged others to vote and use their voice to fight for what they believe in. Voting in an election helps decide the future of the people and the nation and it is crucial that people exercise their right to vote.