Politics: Not Just for Adults!

So on Friday, President Obama came to my school, USC! People weren’t allowed to camp out so they slept in the library till about 5 am and began lining up. By 11 am, the official time for gates to open, the line had become 4 miles long, wrapping around the ins and outs of the school! If you guys have been keeping up with politics, there are a lot of important issues on the California ballot such as the state budget, environment, whether to legalize marijuana and electing our next governor. President Obama came for a Democratic Rally to encourage and stress the importance of voting in this election. His presence was so surreal and approximately over 37,000 people were in attendance.

I know you’re in high school and can’t vote in the upcoming election, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t understand what's going on in the political world. Has your teacher ever asked you about a current event in politics and your immediate answer was, “I dunno” or “I’m too young, none of this effects me.” I know that in high school, I just followed whatever my parents said without knowing anything about the candidates or what issues they stood for. The reality is that eventually, you’ll be able to vote and it won’t be any good if you only choose whoever your parents are voting for or who looks better.

Politics may seem like a very boring topic, but think of it like this; Everyday people complain about gas being too high, no jobs, schools are too big, not enough teachers. All of these issues affect you too! You aren’t excluded because you’re not of age to vote. So, you might want to start caring about these issues and get involved now. Here are a few ways your voice can be heard:

1. Get Involved in a Campaign: Find an issue or politician you really love and help out in a campaign. This is an easy way to really learn about the issues and plans for the future. If you’ve heard about a politician that you like a lot or even a campaign, google them and see if they have any nearby offices. Contact them and see how you can get involved with their campaign.

2. Go to a Rally: Going to a rally with friends, seeing the celebrities that also support the issues, and seeing people like President Obama speak is so much fun! You hear what his plans are for a country that is just as much yours as it is for adults.

3. Join Organization that Promotes Youth Voting: Orgs like Rock The Vote and Youth Vote really bring a youth together, engage them in the issues, and also entertain them at the same time.

Voting is the only way to change things. We are the people and We the People need to make sure that our country is run well. Get into politics now and you’ll have no problem feeling insecure about voting in the future! Trust me, I wish I knew what half my classmates knew when I first got into college. If I went on a trivia show about our governors or senators, I would have probably gotten all of the questions wrong. So get to know about your politics now, therefore you won’t be so behind when it’s time to vote. Take a look at this video and see how much you know about our politics!


-- Rebecca Matey

Brownstone Intern