The 2024 election is rapidly approaching (November 5th), yet there are still Americans who believe their vote “doesn’t matter”. Despite A-list celebrities like Taylor Swift pushing for eligible voters to register, only 161.42 million of the 258.3 million eligible voters are registered. That’s only 38.5% of Americans over the age of 18. 

This registration turnout is a major decrease from the last election in 2020. Then, 168.31 million voters were registered and only 66% (111.08 million voters) of that population voted. In 2020, former president Donald Trump received 47 million votes, losing both the popular and electoral votes.

 If the other 33% of registered voters had wanted and voted for Trump as their choice for president, the outcome could have been much different by a landslide. 

Registering tends to be more popular with the older generation, as a study done in 2022 reports, 77.9% of Americans between the ages of 65-74 years old are registered. This is a drastic comparison to the 49.1% of registered voters aged 18-22.

 To do a more local and laid-back study, I asked some North Penn students about their opinions on voting and the importance of representing their vote. 

90% of students responded “Yes” to the question “Do you believe that your vote matters?” and 10% responded “No”. I believe the youth need to understand the importance of their vote and their opinions being heard. 

The results of this election are the backbone of the future for the next generation, and they have the opportunity to influence the outcome directly. Therefore, there should be many more registered and active voters who identify as Generation Z. 

Many other nations are not as fortunate as we are as Americans. There are nations all over the world that do not run under a democracy, or they run under a corrupted democracy. America, as a nation, should be far more grateful and take advantage of the freedoms and liberties we were blessed with.

American political culture is a set of attitudes and practices that are continued as supported by the American people. Democracy is not carried out because of a piece of paper, it has come to fruition because of the American people who use their right to vote. 

Some rebuttals tend to be that action never comes fast enough, or who I vote for never follows through on their promises so why should I vote? If you’re looking for immediate change, vote locally. Vote for your governor or manager of your borough if you want results in your everyday life. 

Registering to vote is as easy as it could be to urge more people to vote. In Pennsylvania, you can visit https://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov/Pages/VoterRegistrationApplication.aspx, and all you need is to be a resident of Pennsylvania for the past 30 days and a form of ID. Be sure to fill out this form before October 21, 2024, as that is when it will close before the Presidential election. 

As the 2024 Presidential election creeps closer, I urge you to vote as voting is what keeps our democracy and American culture alive and fair. If you do not agree with either candidate and plan not to use your right to vote, please keep in mind that voting is not about perfection, it is about direction.