No matter which state you live in, the same rules apply when determining how old you have to be in order to vote. In all states, you must be 18 years old to register to vote. However, should all people be able to vote, regardless of their age. Some people think that people of all ages should be able to vote, but I think that only people 18 years old and older should be allowed to vote.
Read MoreAs the year continues to progress. The 2024 election process is in full swing, so let’s recap what has occurred so far. In order for the presidential candidates to be the main candidates in the elections they have to go through the primary elections. Primary elections are smaller elections where each state votes for a Democratic and Republican candidate that represents that party. These are usually held a couple months before the election starting from the beginning of the year to about right before the actual general election. This year's primary elections are January 15th, 2024 to September 10th, 2024. Each state has a different date on when their primaries are. You are only able to vote in one party’s primary.
Read MoreSince October 7th of 2023, where Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, attacked Israel resulting in Israel declaring war on Palestine. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, many Palestinians residing in the Gaza Strip were restricted from access to food, water, electricity, and other basic necessities. Along with that, Israel is bombing the Palestinian territory to further destroy homes, and displace innocent people. As of January 21st of 2024, the death toll of Palestinians in Gaza has exceeded 25,000.
Read MoreAt the age of 17, I find myself amongst a demographic where enthusiasm for Biden appears to be waning. The disquiet is for several reasons: skepticism about his age, concerns regarding his perceived lack of progressivism, and a general unawareness of his White House achievements loom large. As we approach the critical juncture of the 2024 elections, with young voters poised to shape the political landscape, Democrats and those close to the president must reckon with this dilemma. Here’s why.
Read MoreGerrymandering is uniquely evil. Merriam-Webster defines gerrymandering as the practice of dividing or arranging a territorial unit into election districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage in elections. Gerrymandering represents all that is wrong in the current political system, after all, I should know, I live in a gerrymandered district. Going to a state scale, I am from Southwest Missouri, residing in the Republic. Looking at the picture above, you’ll notice a hole within Greene County. This hole is the city of Springfield. Springfield and the rest of Southwest Missouri lie in the traditional “Bible Belt”, and maintain a dark red fixture, except for one spot. In that hole lies the blue city of Springfield. The city contains three college campuses, a community college, and a high population of poverty. Because of the high population of blue voters in the city of Springfield, a glaring hole remains in the State Senate’s 20th district map. So, with this personal example of living in gerrymandering, how do we move forward to end the practice?
Read MoreAlexei Navalny, Russian Opposition Leader and critic of Russian president, Vladimir Putin, died on February 16th in a prison colony located in the Arctic Circle where he was serving a 30 year sentence. Navalny was a symbol of hope for Russia, seeking change in the corrupted government. From his activism to investigative work, Navalny began a movement that will not be stopped.
Read MoreCurrently holding a 51-49 majority in the Senate, the Democratic Party will be seeking to maintain control after the 2024 election cycle. However, the Senate map paints a daunting picture for Democrat ambitions, with Democrats left defending seven out of the nine competitive races, according to CNN, and are all but guaranteed to lose West Virginia - thereby their one-seat majority - after Senator Joe Manchin’s retirement. With FiveThirtyEight’s polling placing President Joe Biden behind presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in all nine competitive states, Democrats seemed destined to lose Senate control. Nonetheless, early Senate polling suggests otherwise, giving Democrats a glimmer of hope for Senate success.
Read MoreThe year was 1968. Democratic candidates, delegates, and voters gathered in Chicago for what would soon become the last Open Democratic Convention of the modern era. Voters during this convention were primarily concerned with the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War and for equal rights of Black Americans, leading to riots which brought the National Guard to the Windy City to quell them. The convention was tense as incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to run for a second term, pushing Vice President Hubert Humphrey to the top of the ballot. Although the convention did not lead to a successful Democratic victory for the presidency, it spotlighted the injustices in the Vietnam War and the differing perspectives on candidates.
Read MoreVoting education in high schools is essential to young voters’ involvement in elections. However, there is some debate as to whether U.S. public schools are adequately preparing students to be involved in the electoral process. Schools play a central role in education and civic engagement, and as many have argued, should be doing more to promote such engagement.
Read MorePrimary season is starting, most notably the Michigan primaries are on Tuesday, Feb. 27th. The Democrats pushed up the date of the primaries and the Republicans fought back and introduced a two-step voting system. Now, polls are pointing in one direction, but no candidates have shown any signs of dropping out.
