BY SOUMYO LAHIRI-GUPTA

Yesterday was Super Tuesday and the “youth” voter turnout rates fell from 2016. This makes me incredibly frustrated.

I am sorry if this comes off the wrong way, but I have spent the past four years of my life listening and watching people in my age group complain and critique every action this administration has undertaken. I have seen people in my age group fill the streets and protest at every controversial decision this administration has made. I have seen Instagram posts illustrating support for the progressive movement. I have seen paragraphs-long Facebook posts talking about grave issues with the current government. I have seen politically progressive hashtags consistently trending on Twitter from people around my age for over four years now. And the thing is, I agree with almost all of it; we need to voice our issues with the nation for our beloved country to improve.

But now, when push comes to shove, my age group somehow lacks the energy to show up to the primary voting booths?

One of my greatest fears is that when President Trump leaves the White House, we will collectively lose the energy we have now to fight to fix the issues in our nation; I fear that once we get a new President, we will once again become complacent with the way things are. This poor turnout for our demographic shows that we are inching towards this complacency. WE CANNOT LET THAT HAPPEN!

Regardless who the President is, there are still individuals who are plagued by hospital bills just because they got sick, there are still a vast number of people who struggle to make ends meet despite working two separate jobs that each pay the federal minimum wage, there are still institutional inadequacies that plague many aspects of our society and negatively impact minority groups, and we still have an immigration system that lacks basic empathy when adjudicating applications. All of these issues still exist, even if no one vocally demonstrates them.

We cannot hope that “things will work out” if we do not act. We must take responsibility for the future that we hope to see. If we do not speak, we will not be heard.

Please vote. I beg of you. Please.