Voting like our lives depend on it.

Vote or die.

To the younger generation these words will forever be remembered as the famous words spoken by the rapper P. Diddy  in order to promote his “Vote or Die” campaign during the 2004 presidential election. Although the word choice is extremely harsh, insinuating death will come to you if you do not vote, not to mention the fact that words uttered by P. Diddy may be seen as completely irrelevant to some the fact that this campaign was conducted on “MTV” which is a major network show that appeals to the younger generation may have helped to increase voter awareness amongst 18-29 year olds.

According to a post from The Circle for Research and Civic Learning and Engagement, youth voting surged by 11 percentage points in 2004. That is a major leap from the percentage of younger individuals voting previously. Arguably, it could have nothing to do with P Diddy’s campaign, but you could also draw the conclusion that a major contributing factor to this rise was MTV stepping in and encouraging the younger generation that their vote really does matter.

With the help of places like MTV and sites like youngamericanvoters.com the word is being spread to the younger generation that each vote contributes to a greater cause, and that greater cause is the future of our lives, our children’s lives, and even our grandchildren’s lives. Although speaking of grandchildren is in the far distance for most of us, in order to encourage the younger generation to step it up and vote we need to make it clear that it’s not only this point in time that matters. Legacies and policies of presidents can carry on forever so in order to ensure a future full of opportunities for ourselves and those in which we care about we need to vote people!
Speaking from a twenty-two year old perspective I see the effects that a president and political party can have on the economy. So although I am not a fan of P. Diddy, nor do I believe we will all literally die if we do not vote, I do encourage all younger people to realize the importance that one vote can have on an entire nation.  So by branching out in anyway we can whether that be through MTV, websites, blogs I encourage any and all younger voters to get out there and cast your vote to help ensure the safety of your families and the future of your careers.

If you would like information on how to vote in your state, check out the website my classmates and I have created to help make this whole process a little easier at: http://voteabsentee.wetpaint.com/?t=anon 

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