Why We Need Millennials in Politics

It is often said that our generation are politically apathetic. I do not believe we are apathetic, I think we care very much about our communities, local and global, though there are two issues that hold us back from political involvement:

1. We do not see political options we relate to and want to support.
2. We do not know exactly how to make a significant and lasting impact through politics.

If Millennials are not voting and engaged in the political process, what is going to happen when the generations ahead of us who are currently voting and involved have died? A vacuum will not exist for long; the risk of a minority determining our future becomes a very real threat.

What political system existed before Nazi Germany? The democratic Weimar Republic.

What kind of a government do you envision Russia currently has under Vladimir Putin? Technically, Russia has a democratic government, though in practice, it appears to be otherwise.

Democracy is not guaranteed and freedom comes at a cost, therefore Millennials need to start paying attention.

Millennials are needed in politics for three reasons:

1. The moderate majority of us need to be and feel represented by a political party and in government’s public policy decisions.
2. Our generational traits and values, based in collaboration and cooperation, will drive positive and necessary change in politics and government.
3. There are serious domestic and international issues and threats we must be informed about if we are going to improve and counteract them.

Politics have become more polarized in both an effort to distinguish from the Other, and because a smaller number of people are deciding what Liberal, Conservative, Democrat or Republican means. Millennials are much more balanced in their views. A 2014 public opinion poll says 53% of Millennials would vote for a socially liberal, fiscally conservative candidate, and as the education of a Millennial rises, so too does this voting probability.

Millennials are a generation who champion creative destruction through collaboration, producing innovation and improved ideas and products. In a political context, because Millennials on the whole are not strongly partisan, this trait will lead to constructive debate and productive and meaningful public policy development, within political parties as they adjust to our generation, and in public discourse.

Domestically, Millennials are shouldering the burden of weak economies, poor job and career prospects, an unaffordable cost of living, a decreased ability to own a home and property in order to build equity, and because of these factors, a less stable environment in which to commit to another person and choose to build a family, which are necessary for a strong society. These are the consequences of poor public policy decisions, made by political parties, politicians and bureaucrats who are not competent or worthy of trust to make these critical decisions on our behalf. The choice does not exist to say the system is broken and walk away. Either we make politics and government what we need them to be or we will continue to suffer and positive change will become more difficult to effect.

Internationally, democratic, western nations are facing increasing threats from terrorists who wish to destroy our way of life. We need to educate and inform ourselves about the complexities of other cultures and global affairs and their direct and indirect impacts on us. The recent significant drop in the price of oil has much less to do with the petroleum industry in North America and nearly all about Middle East politics and choking off the financing of terrorism.

Millennials are the future of politics. It is time to inform ourselves, build a trusted network of peers who recognize our time has come, and learn to play the game so we can change the rules.

Photo Credit