In the upcoming election year most seniors will be eligible to vote for the first time; it is imperative that these students vote for themselves and not for their parents.
Voting habits have similar structures to many other habits: formed when young and continued through adulthood. Bruce Cain, professor of political science at Stanford described the influence parents have over their children. “Parents have a tremendous influence on the interest people have in politics, the values they bring to politics, and the habits they have with regard to citizenship,” he said.
The habitual patterns of the voting process can make it hard for students to vote solely on their personal beliefs, because their personal beliefs mirror the beliefs of their parents. In this election cycle, students must think for themselves, not blindly follow the pattern set for them. Senior Amy Oberheart is one student who comes from a family of mixed political ideologies and has formed her own stance on politics.
Oberhart believes finding political independence is how people grow up. “It is part of becoming a young adult to create your own opinions and beliefs. If you just do whatever your parents say you won’t know what it’s like to be independent,” she said. It is time for soon-to-be voters to find their independence and their own opinions.
Often, even in the process of finding independence, people will discover that their opinions are similar to those of their parents. Oberhart views the goal as creating one’s own identity, not simply rebelling against one’s parents. “If after figuring out who you are as a person and you still agree with your parents, that’s okay too,” she said. If students disagree with their parents just to disagree they are wasting their vote on teenage rebellion.
In the 2020 elections a large group of students will, for the first time, have the opportunity to cast a vote and impact the election. These students must step away from the viewpoints of their parents. They must instead do their own research and form their own stance, separate from the political ideologies that surround them. Voting is an opportunity to have a voice in this country; students must find their own to avoid being an echo.
