By: Sydnee Brown

A hundred years ago, after a relentless, century-long movement, the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. Fifty-five years ago, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 marked the beginning of the end of discriminatory practices like literacy tests, which targeted African-American men and women. 

Once a right worth fighting and even dying for, voting is one civic duty not to be taken lightly. Voting affords men and women the right to speak out against, and support local and national issues that are important to them. Yet somehow, voting rates this century have taken a tragic nosedive. 

Although the 2012 presidential election ended with re-election for then President Barack Obama, according to reports from the U.S. Census Bureau, voting rates flipped after 2008 marked record highs for Black voters and a decrease in the non-Hispanic white vote.

Statistics from the Pew Research Center show even more of a decline in voter participation. In 2016, for the first time in 20 years, the black vote for all age groups decreased. Even the number of eligible Latinx voters outweighs the number that usually cast a vote.

More than half, specifically 6 out of 10 voting-age adults, do not vote on Election Day. 

In order to preserve our democracy, the most important responsibility we have is to create a better nation - something only possible by exercising the rights history has afforded us. But across the board, less and less people are taking charge of their communities. Why?

This phenomenon can be attributed to the fact that older, wealthier, and more educated communities are more likely to engage with big-picture issues while casting their ballot. 

But that doesn’t mean voting is restricted to certain populations - in fact, there are many different categories to keeping up with the latest political scruff. 

Inside the 2020 election, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden faced the more politically active and opinionated Gen Z population - born after 1997 and of voting age, many of them cast their votes for the first time this year. 

Racially and ethnically diverse and more likely to be the children of immigrants, members of this generation often carry different experiences and perspectives with them to inform their decisions, values and beliefs.

Their commitment to education, environmental activism, and the growing acceptance regarding issues facing the LGBTQ+ community are just a few examples of the kind of social impact they spearhead. The Pew Research Center stated the 2020 electorate is made up of 1 in 10 Gen Z voters.

But that still doesn’t answer why many Americans are actively choosing not to cast a vote. According to an article from National Public Radio or NPR, solid voter turnout rates range between 42 to 74 percent across the continental United States. 

That number is even lower when it comes to midterms. 

The same NPR article also claims that in the long run, most would-be voters don’t believe their voice matters. There are those who say they would rather not vote at all if they considered neither candidate fit to serve as a representative for the people. 

From COVID-19 to a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, this year has been an exercise in tenacity; Gen Z has shown up and shown out to address concerns and fight for what we believe in on both sides of the spectrum. When it comes to taking to the polls, it has proven to be no different. 

Young people have the opportunity and power to foster positive change that lasts, and that means more now than ever. 

A single vote seems as trivial as a drop in the ocean, but when they come together, the result has the potential to shift the trajectory of our future. Today, it is our duty to vote to ensure our country not only stays a place that we are proud to call home, but is safe for everyone to live and thrive in.