I wanted to take a moment today and remind you all that it is time to VOTE! This year there is so much to think about and consider as you go to cast your ballot. You, as an American, have the ability to let your voice be heard. There are some misinformation out there about how your vote may not make a difference. I wanted to address those concerns and help clear up any concerns you might have before you head to the polls.

When you are voting in a Presidential election there is more on the ballot than just who will win the presidency. I have heard comments about how if your state tends to go red or blue then your vote for the opposing candidate doesn’t matter. Well that is not true. Each vote gets counted and that does matter, plus when you vote for other positions (judge positions, senate seats, county and state positions) you are helping to put people into offices that uphold your same values. When it comes to voting your vote has a huge impact on your local government and that impacts your community, state and country.

I have also heard crazy statistics about young people who have not voted. It is crazy to me to hear about people who don’t routinely vote. The reason we have older people running for office is because older people are electing people like themselves to those positions. We as humans, want people like us to advocate for our values. Our parents and grandparents get out and vote and then the people campaigning are targeting their agenda items to align with their base. As someone who is 30 something, if more of us voted and ran for office there would be more people like us in politics/on the ballot. So do your part, get out and vote and then who knows, maybe in the future you want to get involved with serving in your local and state government.