Luís Millan, staff writer

Over the past four years, U.S. politics has become a circus of dread and the presidential race is no different. Former President Trump is facing off against the Supreme Court and it looks like Joe Biden, our current president, will run uncontested by the democratic party. The future looks bleak and that sentiment is rubbing off on a lot of Gen Zers… a bit too much. According to an article from Teen Vogue, many members of Gen Z are disinterested in voting in this election, saying that their vote doesn’t matter or they’re disappointed. Ultimately this sentiment is extremely dangerous as not doing the bare minimum will result in catastrophic consequences for all of our futures. 

Many of the Gen Z voters are not motivated by candidates, but instead are more prone to be in support of issues that affect the general public, especially marginalized people groups, according to the Pew Research Center. This is a great sentiment. I am in support of this new narrative! However, this falls flat when you don’t use your voice — in this case your ballot — to actually be heard. How are representatives supposed to change policies when you don’t spend five minutes in a church to vote? In fact, this is what the opposition WANTS you to do, stick your head in the sand, fall into complacency and become okay with the ouroboros that is US politics. 

There is also the simultaneous narrative that voting for a candidate means you completely endorse their beliefs, especially when voting for a president. This, combined with our presidential elections always being a matter of “the lesser evil,” understandably makes people turn away from voting. However, there needs to be more critical thinking and strategy. A vote for a lukewarm candidate is a vote against the one that is likely infinitely more malicious. I am not saying fall in line, there is more to do once you vote because your civic duties don’t end at the ballot box. 

According to an article from the Harvard Gazette, this year alone there are statistics showing that millennials and those beyond are less likely to vote for Biden. Biden is a big bad, his presidency leaves a legacy for slow work and lots of broken promises — so they have every right to not vote for him. Who does that leave to fill the seat? Republicans are unequivocally dangerous to our communities. Project 2025 is their spearhead and if they get elected, we can kiss democracy and some sense of normalcy goodbye. 

“But there is no real obligation for candidates to actually listen,” I hear you say. There is no obligation for you to vote for the same person who failed and keeps failing you. Small steps are crucial and pivotal for policy change that we need in our current society. Our leaders in the past have laid out all this groundwork for us and it is more than selfish to not use it. I’d rather die by a snake knowing I tried to fight it, rather than letting it consume me without notice.