Tuesday, Nov. 5 is the 2024 general and presidential election. For many students, this is the first presidential election they are eligible to vote in. As the day draws near, many are researching presidential candidates and their policies before heading to various polling places that will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in their respective time zones.
According to statista.com, Minnesota has been a blue state since 1976 when former president Jimmy Carter was elected into office. Since then, Minnesota has voted for the Democratic candidates in each presidential election. For many folks like myself, this is the first year we can vote in both the general election and the presidential election.. Given that tomorrow, Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day, I want to take the time to urge people to vote.
I know that last week the Oracle’s Editorial Board released a staff editorial about the importance of voting, however, there is one thing I believe that was left out of that article that needs to be discussed before the election.
Minnesota is one of the many blue states in the country, and that is something we should be proud of. Why do I think this should have been included in the editorial board’s piece? While we live in a blue state, there are others who do not. This point was brought up in a previous Oracle opinion piece written by the current Editor-in-Chief, notably raised in a predominantly red state.
“I have noticed a distinct trend with young people who come from safe–haven states and cities, such as the Twin Cities, where they abstain from voting because they know that they will remain safe inside the comfort of their blue life. There is nothing wrong with living in a safe–haven state and feeling comfortable enough to trust your local politicians. However, it is selfish,” Oracle Editor-in-Chief Aiden Lewald said.
As someone who grew up in one of the safe-haven states reading the line in his article about trusting your local politicians made me reflect. After Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, Governor, turned Vice Presidental Candidate, Tim Walz signed a bill to ensure that the right to abortion and reproductive healthcare was written into our state statutes. While the topics of Lewald’s article and Governor Walz’s bill are not on the same topic, the point is all the same.
Given how abortion and reproductive policies are a big topic when it comes to this presidential election, Lewald’s point in his article is made abundantly clear with this in mind. Being from a predominantly blue state and having a governor that we can trust is a privilege that I had not considered before reading Lewald’s article.
The funny thing is, even when I was a little kid and my mom would come home wearing her “I voted” sticker, I knew that when I turned 18 I was going to vote no matter what. What I did not expect was everything that has happened over the past few years in the U.S.— I do not think anyone could have expected it. If there is anything that you take away from reading this article I want it to be that whatever state you live in, red or blue, your vote matters. Thinking your vote does not count is insane to me.
There’s a quote from “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” by Dr. Seuss that I think encapsulates why your vote matters—not only in this election but in every election from now on: “To the world, you may be one person but to one person you may be the world”.
I never really understood the quote when I was a kid, but now that I am older and have more experience and knowledge than I did at the age of five, I understand it. As the quote says, to the world you may only be one person: one vote in a sea of thousands. But to one person, your vote could be the world.
