The midterm elections have just passed, with voters from all over the country participating in their civic duty. Not only was there a record turnout in multiple states, but we even had some of our seniors voting at their local polling place on Nov. 8. However, despite the fact that some of them were eligible this year, not many voted.

Out of a poll of 31 seniors at the school, only two said they would vote this year. That means out of the senior student body, only 6% were planning to vote in  midterm elections. Seniors are limited from voting by certain factors. 

“I’m not [of] voting age yet,” senior Evan Bryan said, “Even if I were, I probably won’t vote anyway”

That leads into the other issue. While some seniors are eligible to vote, some just do not know enough about politics to vote on important issues. If they do know, they may not care enough to make an effort to vote. During our survey, some people said that they were registered, but would not vote either way. 

Despite their indifference, the youth vote is extremely important, and in recent years has had more significance in elections compared to previous years. For instance, according to the New York Times, 27% of 18-29 year old voters cast their ballots during the election. Even though only a quarter of them vote, youth voters in particular were responsible for Democrats flipping both houses in 2018, stopping the predicted “Red Wave” of Republicans taking over both houses of Congress and electing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (Rep.) back for his second term. In Orlando, they even helped elect the first Gen Z member of the House of Representatives: Maxwell Frost, age 25. The next presidential election will be in 2024, when President Joe Biden plans to face off against the Republican challenger. Whatever the result may be, it is clear that the youth vote will decide the outcome of this election.

So if you’ll be turning 18 before Nov. 5, 2024, start keeping a close eye on politics so you can make an informed choice.