Why I’m Committing Myself to Politics for the Next year and Why You Should Too

Whether you are jumping out of your seat eager, or counting the days until they are over, the 2016 elections are right around the corner.
I registered myself about a year or two ago in a party that I know nothing about…typical. I knew I could change which party I placed myself in and I knew I do not always have to vote in the party I chose, but I also know how annoyed I am at myself for registering into a party I knew nothing about.

This is my open announcement to the world, more like a promise I can’t turn my back on, that I am going to spend the next year challenging myself to learn everything and anything there is about politics, the upcoming election, and the party which I registered myself into. And I’m kind of hoping you will do the same if you are already not comfortably knowledgeable about politics.

So why is it so important to understand politics, even if you can’t stand them? I can think of two solid reasons:

1. You Have A Voice

America was built on the notion of freedom so even hundreds of years later, we are still lucky enough to have the freedom to have a voice that matters in our own country. My voice may not be the loudest, but I still have one and it can impact the world around me if I let it. Every United States citizen has a voice and that voice can help to vote in various government (federal and local) elections.

2. The World Will One Day Be Yours

As a millennial, we hear over and over again from our elders that one day their country is going to be in our hands for the taking. We should take pride in that and take responsibility sooner rather than later. The decisions you make in politics today have the power to affect the next 100 years. In 100 years, the world would have been ours for a while and will actually already be passed down to our children and probably grandchildren. So by taking the time to make valid decisions today, we can already begin impacting the world which will one day be ours.

I want to hear about where you stand with politics. No I’m not asking you to share your political views; I’m just asking if you are comfortably knowledgeable about politics to share how you got there. Was it always a passion of yours? Did you force yourself to learn? How did you learn? I need all the help I can get so by time the 2016 elections come around, I can confidently step in a booth and make a choice that I’ll be happy about for years to come.