Register. Vote. Be heard. Midterm elections gained traction from citizens across; one out of six were first time voters. Seniors in particular headed to the polling stations to cast their vote yesterday on Election Day. For some, the power to vote is a key part of being an American citizen. The number of voting eligible citizens increased over 18 million since 2014.

“Voting for the first time gave me the feeling that I can contribute to the success my country,” senior Cutter Dietz said. “Young people should vote because there is a lot of diversity in the younger generations and they make up a large number of the voting population.”

Senior Drew Martindale voted to do his part and was a new experience as a first time voter.  

“It was really cool to vote for the first time. Voting was something new that I got to try and am thankful for it,” Martindale said. “I feel like my vote has little impact but who know it might be the one vote needed.”

Others voted for more pressing reasons such as policies that will affect college bound students concerning the cost of tuition for post secondary education.

“The more young people who vote, the more likely we are to get the things we need at this time in society. However, most young people don’t vote, so it doesn’t really influence the polls a whole lot,” senior Rachel Johnson said. “If more young people were to vote, I feel that this generation would feel like something is actually being done in their favor. For example, an increase of money being put into education.”

Senior Sam Sanchez realized his potential to impact the election and represent the Hispanic community. By participating in the midterms, young people contributed to voicing their opinions and establishing their rights as Americans.  

“It feels good [to be a young Hispanic voter]. I hope that more Hispanic people will go out and vote and have our voices heard,” senior Sam Sanchez said. “Whenever I went to vote, I was the only minority there the whole time. Tweeting how much you dislike someone and what they’re doing won’t change anything, but voting will.”