Letter: Young people need to feel like their voices are heard

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Many young people are losing motivation to vote. Because they have been ill-informed and have felt deceived by politicians, I believe that young people do not trust the government. Why would anyone participate in a system they don’t trust and where they don’t feel like they matter? It is long overdue to educate the masses on how elections work and the importance of their vote.
An election where the popular vote winner is one candidate and then the Electoral College chooses the other can result in a lot of confusion and frustration. For example, in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton did not become our president even though she won the popular vote.
Voters are confused as to how the vote of the people didn’t elect the president and frustrated at what feels like a minimal impact of their voice. This, in turn, has caused younger people to not want to vote as they feel it does not have an effect. Of course this is not the case. Each and every vote matters.
This system can be extremely frustrating, but that doesn’t mean the right answer is inactivity. A democracy only works if the people participate. The lack of education has caused young people to feel that forfeiting one of the most important rights they have in this society is the appropriate choice. Accessible information and guidance about the world of voting is essential for the younger generation. Young people deserve to feel that their voice is heard, not ignored.
Carmella Bear
Indian Island