With Election Day happening today there is still a large group of people who do not know the issues or, to put bluntly, care. In an article written by Tyler Kingkade on Huffingtonpost.com, he writes that there are Fox News anchors that believe that young Americans should not vote. And there is a certain host, Ann Coulter to be exact, who wants to have the 26th Amendment repealed. In case you’re wondering this amendment gives 18 year olds the right to vote in elections. She wrote:
“As we have learned from ObamaCare, young people are not considered adults until age 26, at which point they are finally forced to get off their parents’ healthcare plans. The old motto was “ Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” The new motto is: “Not old enough to buy your own health insurance, not old enough to vote.”
Now there is a major problem with her saying this. First, you can buy your own healthcare at 18, but the majority of young people choose to stay on their parents’ healthcare because frankly they can’t afford an extra bill especially since most young people are attending college.
Unfortunately, there are a few things that she says that are agreeable. Such as, young people don’t pay attention to the issues, but honestly they’re not targeting young people to vote. If a person watches any news channel whether it be CNN, Fox or MSNBC the commercials are even targeting the older generations. With their ads featuring depends, buying gold and silver for a low price and lets not forget the commercials that ask, have you or a loved one suffered from a bad hip replacement?
What makes this years gubernatorial race so interesting is that both candidates, Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis, have plans to pass some sort of legislation to help younger people with college. Greg Abbott wishes to allow for more transferrable college credits from junior colleges to bigger four-year institutions. For more on what he wants to implement check out Greg Abbott’s Educating Texans Plan: Higher Education. Wendy Davis’ plan would to help high school kids get early college credits and expand pre-kindergarten programs. For more on her plan check out the issues section and click on Education section of her website, wendydavistexas.com.
Go vote, and go vote with an understanding and a purpose. Gain insight on the issues and what’s happening in your local government as well. Prove a Fox News anchor or two wrong, but most importantly prove to yourself that you are an informed citizen.
Editorial: Election Day 2014
