OPINION: Democrats Discuss — Voting is a fundamental American right

Kevin Andrus Jr. is a member of the Ohio University College Democrats. He is a senior studying political science. The following article reflects the opinion and views of the author and does not present those of the Ohio University College Democrats. 

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

We hear time and time again that every vote matters, and this statement is correct. Every voice deserves to be heard when citizens go to cast their vote — to be heard requires registering to vote. 

The reason that I am even registered to vote is because of my high school government teacher’s dedication to making sure that every students’ voice would be heard. There are people that are not registered to vote, which means that they cannot be active in our elections. Therefore, I find it incredibly important to register people to vote so that the country can better be shaped by an active citizenry.

This lack of registered voters has real-world consequences. These individuals not being registered means that they are not allowed to select the politicians that will represent them. This also means that people are not able to select politicians that hold similar beliefs. Additionally, not being able to vote makes it impossible to vote on local or state ballot initiatives such as tax levies. These issues will affect every citizen — even the ones who are not registered.

Registering people to vote is going to be especially important since Ohio’s secretary of state purged the state’s voting rolls. This means citizens will have to be reregistered to vote if the state deems them not active in the voting process. On top of already having so many individuals who are not registered in the first place, the state deciding to kick people off of roles is evidently a horrible idea. This action results in more work to get people able to vote in the upcoming election, and it also means that there will be extra work for organizations to get as many people registered as possible.

An engaged and active citizenry is a positive element for society, and it can be achieved by helping get individuals registered to vote so that they voice their opinions in elections. The more people that take an active role in voting, the better our representatives should be at representing their constituents. This is why organizations should strive to register citizens who want to vote as soon as possible because there are important issues in every single election.

There is power in knowing that one’s voice will be heard and that they can play an important role in the political process. But to be heard, you first need to register to exercise this right. This means that registering people to vote should be a larger and more acknowledged nonpartisan effort. Ultimately, there is a huge chunk of people’s voices missing in this country. This should not be the case because their voices deserve to be heard.