Single-issue voters and those who are politically apathetic have one thing in common: they are both harmful to the country by discouraging political discussions representative of everyone, ultimately undermining the electorate.Whether they are abstaining from voting or voting upon the basis of a single issue, those who refuse to engage in the political system in an informed manner deny the inherent duty they have as citizens of the United States with the right to vote.
In order for the American democratic system to function as intended and produce candidates that represent the will of the people, as many citizens as possible must participate in the political system through exercising their right to vote. This is especially true for younger voters, as the impacts of elections today will continue for potentially decades to come. When young people refuse to vote, they are giving up a valuable stake in their future and allowing others to determine the future course of our country without even trying to put up a fight. In 2020, only 51.4% of registered voters aged 18-24 turned out to vote — therefore, we only represented half of young Americans.
When you refuse to take the time to make an informed decision and vote, you are disrespecting the Americans who died so that you would have the right to do so. Those who came before us fought tooth and nail to ensure every citizen’s right to vote without being subject to legal-loophole voter suppression. Each and every time someone decides they “just don’t care enough” to form an opinion and utilize their right to vote, these efforts are ignored.
By abstaining from the democratic process, you are telling the people whose rights and futures are being decided by your vote that they are invisible or irrelevant to you. In a time where a woman’s bodily autonomy is currently a major issue in between our two candidates, not voting means refusing to even consider the impact that this election could have on the lives of the millions of women in our country.
Many people who are politically apathetic say that they simply “don’t have time” or that they just “don’t see the point” in forming a set of opinions. In our day and age, accessing information about current events is as simple as opening the New York Times website or a quick google search. No one is requiring that you read every single book published on a subject before you come to a conclusion, but doing the most basic of research on key election topics is a small time cost for a greater political pay off.
Nearly as bad as those who completely abstain from political considerations are those who are “single issue voters,” vowing to vote based upon a single policy rather than a candidate’s entire portfolio of policy ideas. Those who vote in that manner hold one issue on a pedestal and fail to make a holistic decision in the process. Regardless of what their single issue is, these voters are disregarding millions of other Americans who will be negatively impacted by policies that single issue voters simply do not care enough about. Often this stems from the single issue voter feeling that they won’t be impacted by the other policies, which often comes from a place of privilege — the ability to vote knowing their rights are not on the line.
At the end of the day, every member of society must face the consequences that come from individuals deciding that they do not care enough to engage in our political system. When voters disregard the fact that their choices have profound impacts on the lives of those around them, they make it very clear that they couldn’t care less about the people whose rights are up for a vote.
If you ever believe that you are somehow above political participation, or that there is only a single issue that really matters, remember that not standing up for others now can lead to a future where there is no one left to stand up for you.