Every four years, the citizens of the United States get to cast a vote and potentially choose who they want to be the next President. Though voting is not required, it’s a very important privilege that every U.S. citizen should exercise.

The 2024 Presidential election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 5. By now, most are aware that the Republican party candidate is former President Donald Trump, and the Democratic party candidate is current Vice President Kamala Harris. While these are the current candidates, this wasn’t always the case. The original Democratic candidate was President Joe Biden; however, Biden ended up dropping out of the race in a written letter posted on social media, stating: “While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term”–thus leading Kamala Harris to be the new nominee representing the Democratic Party. 

For first-time voters, it is important to understand how the process works. In a federal election, the two main parties–the Republicans and the Democrats–nominate a presidential candidate from each party based on the results of the 6-9 month primary voting process across the nation. After the primaries, delegates for each state, who were selected to represent the voice of the people, will ceremoniously announce that party’s candidate for the upcoming general election during their respective party’s national convention.

While the U.S. citizens are the ones who get to make this ultimate vote, Presidential elections are not necessarily won by popular–or majority–vote. Federal elections convert the popular vote into electoral ones in order to balance the input of each state in the process. Indiana has 11 electoral votes. The Presidential winner must cross the threshold of at least 270 electoral votes. It is also important to remember that when citizens vote, they are not just simply choosing government officials, they are expressing their opinions and needs for the country. Therefore, it is important for first-time votes to do their research before casting their vote.

Ms. Sonya Harrington, a psychology and government teacher at Elkhart High School, believes that citizen participation is critical when it comes to voting. “Voting is a precious right that we should all revere. Voting gets the attention of our decision makers. If young people want their issues addressed, they need to vote and pay attention to what is going on in the country,” explains Ms. Harrington.

Mrs. Linda Fine, a government teacher at Elkhart High School, feels very similarly to Ms. Harrington about the importance of voting. Mrs. Fine goes on to state, “Voting is a fundamental principle in a democracy. It is the way for people to be involved in the government and decision making. I personally say that if you are eligible to vote and don’t exercise that responsibility, you don’t have standing to complain. You must be involved in the process.” 

Voting is one of the most important ways to bring change in the country. Anyone who is eligible to vote should utilize his or her privilege to make a difference!

Haven’t Registered Yet? There’s Still Time!

• Eligible students can still register to vote up until Oct. 7. Go to:
  • https://vote.gov/register/indiana

How to Prepare for Voting:

• Listen to multiple news sources to form a more balanced opinion
• Determine the issues that are personally, locally, nationally, and/or globally important, and then find out each candidate’s stance on those particular issues
• Vote on policies over personality
• Vote record over rhetoric
• Seek out the logistics and feasibility to each candidate’s proposals