So I’m just going to put it out into the open – I didn’t vote. Before the voting public gets their ballots in a bunch, I want to say there must be a reason that myself along with a majority of the student body chose not to exercise their right.

I mean there’s the obvious, that as college students some of us live in a bubble and if news doesn’t interrupt our regularly scheduled broadcast we wouldn’t know about it. Whereas a few decades ago college students were burning their bras and opposing wars, now the college attitude seems to be less involved in the world, but rather our individual worlds. I’ll be the first to admit that I take advantage of being a college student and use that attitude despite the fact I know better.

So does that make me lazy, ignorant or ungrateful? Possibly.

I know there are people all around the world who cannot vote and don’t have the luxuries I do, such as democracy. My question is, to what extent do we say we have democracy, and to what extent do we really mean it?

I guess you can look at my life and assume I’m ungrateful because I have never voted. But I don’t think that’s true for many people who didn’t vote, or have never voted. I value what I have in many ways, I’m not some ungrateful, non-voting monster.

I agree with what most candidates preach about during election season that universal health care and right to jobs and education is important. What it really comes down to is that I don’t believe any of them will get the job done. Furthermore, I don’t even think most of the candidates really ever intend to do what they say in office, except pay attention to those who paid for their campaigns – not saying I’m right, but doesn’t that thought mean something in itself?

Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t really have any faith in any candidate I’ve seen speak. So are we supposed to vote just because it’s our right to, even if we don’t believe in anyone there is to choose from? If that’s true, it needs to change.

This brings up another point. Before this election I knew little about each candidate, so I thought to myself, why would I vote when I could be voting for someone I don’t believe in? Sure, I could be glued to the news and find out everything there is to know about candidates for governor and county positions, but I don’t, and I don’t think I’m the only one. That may not justify it and I’m not defending that, but I will say there’s a reason no one votes on this campus and among our age group in general and expecting them to just come around may not work.

Speeches about how candidates will fight for us and for our generation, though, aren’t going to get us out to the polls. Maybe I’m not the only one who doesn’t have faith that what we are being told is honest and good.

So why don’t we ban together as one great big happy Generation X and make a difference?

Perhaps because no one trusts or believes in the system, or its candidates.

Just the other day in one of my classes someone asked the question, ‘Why should I vote for president when the electoral college is just going to decide it anyway?’ Exactly.

I know there are many reasons why I should vote and I don’t think I could ever justify it in one column. My purpose in writing this is simple, there is a reason many of us don’t vote and thinking we’re ignorant and expecting our age group to just wise up may not be the answer.