LIFE

Voting is a majorly important part of being a good citizen. It allows you to voice your opinion, and voting for like-minded candidates is a great way to make sure that your elected officials will do what they can to protect you and your rights.

Tomorrow is Election Day, and you may want to become more involved in the country's political scene. Unfortunately, if you're too young to vote, this can seem impossible. When you're under 18, you may feel voiceless or frustrated—after all, it's hard to feel like you have the power to make any real changes when you can't even vote.

The good news? You don't have to be old enough to vote in order to make a difference. Here's how to get involved and make a difference at *any* age.

Self-educate

Read up on candidates and their past actions. See whose values align with yours and whose don't. This way, you'll know who you would vote for and who you can tell the voters in your life about. If you find a candidate who seems like your speed, consider reaching out to them or researching for further ways to help them in their campaign.

Talk to those who can vote

Armed with the knowledge you've acquired from self-educating, you'll be a pro at having (respectful!) conversations with those in your life who can vote. Talk to parents, older siblings, other family members or older friends about the candidates and who they plan on voting for. Most importantly, make sure that they plan on voting to begin with. Remind them of the power of their vote. This means every convo with a voter in your life counts just as much.

Phone bank/write/text 

Once you know which candidate(s) you admire most, research how you can phone bank, write or text. This way, you can spread the word about them and the good that they're doing without having to actually vote. You can inform others about the candidate *and* help yourself get to know the country's political scene (plus, you may get some volunteer hours, too!). Score.

Register for future elections 

Although you can't do the actual voting until you're 18, the good news is that you can still register for future elections as a way to prep for when the time comes. Depending on where you live, you just might be able to register at age 16 or 17. 

Looking for more voting info? Check out these related posts: 
🇺🇸 How to register to vote before you're 18—and what states allow you to do it
🇺🇸 "My parents almost didn't vote this year. Here's how I convinced them."
🇺🇸 Read this if you're worried about the upcoming presidential election

How do you plan to get involved tomorrow's election? Tell us on Twitter @girlslifemag! 

All GIFs via GIPHY

by Eva Mandelbaum | 11/4/2024