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Congratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
NYT in June: Lessons for 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates, From a Soon-to-Be First-Time Voter
[link:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/04/learning/lessons-for-2020-democratic-presidential-candidates-from-a-soon-to-be-first-time-voter.html|
This essay, by Nora Fellas, who is now 17 but was 16 when she wrote it, is one of the Top 12 winners of our Sixth Annual Student Editorial Contest, for which we received 10,509 entries.
I am one of more than five million people too young to vote today, but who will be old enough in 2020. I am 16, I run a political blog with over 100,000 followers, and I am offering some free lessons to candidates on how they can earn our votes.
Given the slim margin in the 2016 election, our votes could make all the difference. So listen up.
snip
This isn’t to say candidates shouldn’t appeal to young people — they must, because our votes can’t be taken for granted. In 2016, 18-29 year olds had the lowest turnout of any age group. The key difference between our generation and our parents’ is that we belong to the “Bernie or Bust” generation. 2016 revealed that we won’t choose between “the lesser of two evils”; if no candidate inspires us, we will just stay home.
This is why politicians need to appeal seriously to youth voters. Take Sanders: he is nearly 80, yet he is incredibly popular among young people. Why? Not because of his Instagram skills, but because he’s perceived as genuine — his politics haven’t changed.
To the 2020 candidates: the key to earning our vote isn’t pandering to us. Rather, we want to see that you genuinely care about the issues that matter to us. If you do that, you won’t need to worry about spreading your message on Instagram. We’ll do it for you.
snip
This essay, by Nora Fellas, who is now 17 but was 16 when she wrote it, is one of the Top 12 winners of our Sixth Annual Student Editorial Contest, for which we received 10,509 entries.
I am one of more than five million people too young to vote today, but who will be old enough in 2020. I am 16, I run a political blog with over 100,000 followers, and I am offering some free lessons to candidates on how they can earn our votes.
Given the slim margin in the 2016 election, our votes could make all the difference. So listen up.
snip
This isn’t to say candidates shouldn’t appeal to young people — they must, because our votes can’t be taken for granted. In 2016, 18-29 year olds had the lowest turnout of any age group. The key difference between our generation and our parents’ is that we belong to the “Bernie or Bust” generation. 2016 revealed that we won’t choose between “the lesser of two evils”; if no candidate inspires us, we will just stay home.
This is why politicians need to appeal seriously to youth voters. Take Sanders: he is nearly 80, yet he is incredibly popular among young people. Why? Not because of his Instagram skills, but because he’s perceived as genuine — his politics haven’t changed.
To the 2020 candidates: the key to earning our vote isn’t pandering to us. Rather, we want to see that you genuinely care about the issues that matter to us. If you do that, you won’t need to worry about spreading your message on Instagram. We’ll do it for you.
snip
More Brilliance from a 16-year-old that puts this old geezer to shame!
Also, special thanks to a Duer who pointed this article, that I missed in June, out to me today. Happy to give the person props in name if they allow me!
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided
