The involvement of millennials in politics is extremely important

As Election Day approaches on Tuesday, I urge all eligible young people, regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity, or financial status, to head out and vote.

The Pew Research Center reports that Millennials and Generation Xers outnumber the adults from prior generations who are eligible to vote. Around 126 million Millennials and generation x adults, 56 percent of eligible voters, will put an end to the “dominance by Boomers and prior generations.”

Despite there being many potential young voters in the 2016 Presidential Election, approximately 69 million, the probability that much of the younger population will vote is very slim. It seems as if the young voter turnout is decreasing.

The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement reported that 51 percent of young people voted in the 2008 presidential election, while 45 percent of them voted in the 2012 election.

Unless you like politics, getting involved can be tedious, but understanding what each candidate has to offer, is much to our advantage. Some people don’t realize how much politics affects our lives.

The younger generations are often affected most by a candidate’s political agenda. We have to deal with the changes that are made. There’s no way we can change the outcome of an election if we never get out and vote.

If you’re not happy with taxes, vote. If you don’t agree with certain policies, vote. We may not all have the same opinions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t matter. If you choose not to vote, then you give up your right to complain.

It isn’t enough to say that you don’t like this election therefore you won’t vote. It’s been an evident part of American history that many groups have fought for their right to vote. We can’t let the hard work of our ancestors go to waste.

Many people from other countries would enjoy the opportunity to elect their country’s leader, but many don’t have that option.

Unfortunately, this hasn’t been a conventional presidential election. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are the most unpopular major-party presidential candidates in recorded American history.

The Washington Post reports that 59 percent of registered voters view Clinton’s image as unfavorable and 60 percent of registered voters view Trump’s image as unfavorable.

We may not be able to do much about the candidates for this election, but let that be a lesson for future elections.

The future of the United States is in the hands of the younger generations whether we like it or not. We need to choose those who represent us meticulously. We should choose every local and state official with just as much passion and caution as we choose our presidents. We must get involved and know what’s going in the world around us.

We’ll have to make the country’s decisions when the older generations aren’t here to make them for us. We have to shape the country into what works for the recent generations.

Millennials are the most racially diverse generation. The country is headed in a new direction. Politics as we know it won’t be the same, so better start catching on now before it’s too late.