WHY VOTE? Young Voters Can't Sit This One Out

One student's appeal to his peers

By Ethan Hennessy, School of Aeronautics, Liberty University

July 22, 2026

It is easy for young people to feel disconnected from elections. Between classes, work, internships, and everything else competing for our attention, voting can seem like just another item on an already overloaded to-do list. But elections are not happening in some separate world. They are shaping the world we are living in right now.

In Michigan, voters will help choose major leaders like the governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state lawmakers, and members of Congress. That means real decisions about tuition, student debt, housing, wages, public transit, and mental health support are all connected to what happens at the ballot box. These are not abstract issues. They are the things that decide whether young adults can afford to stay Michigan, build a future here, and actually thrive here.

Young adults are often told they are the future, but that description can be misleading. The future is not something that starts later. It is being built now, with every election, every law, and every budget decision that gets made. If we want a future that actually reflects our needs, then we cannot afford to sit on the sidelines while other people make those choices for us.

And let’s be honest: the issues hitting young adults right now are big. College costs keep climbing. Rent keeps going up. Entry-level jobs do not always pay enough to keep up. Mental health care is still too hard to access. A lot of people my age are doing everything “right” and still feeling stuck. Voting will not solve every problem overnight, but it is one of the strongest tools we have to make things better.

If you have ever complained about tuition, rent, wages, or the lack of opportunities for young people, voting is how you turn that frustration into action. It is not about pretending one election fixes everything. It is about understanding that every election moves the future in a direction. If we do not help choose that direction, we cannot be surprised when the outcome does not reflect our priorities.

The process itself is straightforward. Michigan’s election resources make it easy to register, check your polling place, view your sample ballot, and track an absentee ballot. You do not need to have every issue figured out before you vote. You just need to get informed enough to make a choice and follow through.

Young people are not a footnote in this election. We are part of the story. We live with the consequences of these decisions, and in many cases, we will live with them the longest. That alone should be enough reason to care.

So, if you have been sitting on the fence, take this as your sign to get into the game. Go to Michigan.gov for election information. Check your registration. Learn what is on the ballot. Talk to your friends. Make a plan. Then vote like your future depends on it — because in a very real way, it does.