After recently turning 18, voting has become much more realistic and important to me; I aspire to continue learning more about our political system and take a larger role in participating in our political process.
Political efficacy is the belief that your actions can influence the political process and that you can make a difference in our government. Having a strong sense of political efficacy ensures our government’s accountability and that we have a strong and functioning democracy—especially important in our society, which is increasingly polarized and dissatisfied with the government. Currently, America faces the problem of low voter turnout. We are ranked 31st out of 50 democratic countries for annual voter turnout. As a result, the ‘democracy’ millions of Americans advocate for undermines just that: democracy. Key aspects of this system of government, such as majority rule, policy responsiveness, and fair representation, are slowly eroding; citizens who refuse to vote identify less with elected officials and the policies they pass. In short, the more people who vote, the better our government can represent the entire American population.
To receive the policies you want, improve your political efficacy. To influence public decisions, improve your political efficacy. To feel represented in this country, improve your political efficacy. But how can you do this? There are a variety of ways for you to influence the political process. For example, attend school board meetings or even the student senate at Westmont to understand how local decisions are made; get informed by taking AP Government, doing research, or staying up to date on The Shield’s politics page; volunteer at community events or engage in protests for subjects you care about; and most importantly, vote!
There are a multitude of reasons why to vote. For one, it gives you an amazing chance to create a positive change for the community you, your friends, and your family reside in. Voting provides the opportunity to determine the resources your school gets, the quality of your roads, the access to your health care, and even crime prevention or policies around you. Further, you can decide where your money goes (in terms of tax dollars) by electing governors, members of Congress, and even the President, who all decide where your (or your family’s) tax dollars are allocated.
There are countless other extremely important reasons, so please consider voting to benefit both yourself and America’s democracy. If you cannot yet, ask your friends, your family, to take part in the political process—and do not forget to continue improving your political efficacy by staying involved and learning more about our government.