Taking action
With the midterm election just around the corner, Cannon Falls Students advocate for political candidates.
Local students hit the streets promoting the opportunity to vote.
Politics brings out the good, the bad, and the ugly amongst people. Even though all of us survived the 2016 election, our country became more divided than it ever had before. This election is no different. Yards are filled with political signs and not a single day goes by where a television set doesn’t show another aggressive attack ad. It is easy to say that tensions are high on all ends of the political spectrum. Through all the chaos, young people like Laurie Miller and Nathan VanZuilen, are taking action to promote their political parties. By knocking on doors, handing out flyers, and talking to voters both of them hope to share their perspective on the upcoming election.
Each of them are standing behind separate political parties, but both have shared similar experiences. Miller and VanZuilen said that they had a good time knocking on doors. That is not the only thing the two agree on: Both stated that this election will have a lasting impact. “This election is important because we are choosing who is going to make our laws for the next four years. We want them to make good decisions,” VanZuilen said. The upcoming election has just as much importance as the 2016 presidential election because it will dramatically influence the future of the United States. Young people going out and using their voices is more important than ever.
Another topic that these two agree on, even while being on opposing parties, is how important young people really are. According to Miller, “Young people really need to get out and vote because right now the majority of voters are from an older generations and there’s super low voter turnout from younger people.” Miller goes on to say that when the younger generation decides not to show up to their polling place the votes don’t accurately represent what the country currently believes. VanZuilen takes it a step further adding that,“It’s great when young people take an interest in politics because they are our future politicians. It’s good to discover what you believe.” No matter who someone may talk to, it easy to see how monumental this election truly is.
Talking to these two seniors helped me see that both parties are extremely passionate about this election. Which party an individual associates themselves is not important because what truly matters is when people stand behind what they truly believe. What matters is people raising their voices in the face of diversity. When we look around it is clear to see that our country is divided, but maybe we are more alike than we first thought? If two high schoolers,one republican and one democrat, can come to the consensus that everyone, regardless of age, should vote and care about this election, the rest of the country can too.
Emma Conway is a senior Editor-in-Chief for The Lantern. As a Yearbook Editor, Speech Captain, Student School Board Representative, MHS Historian, and...