I can’t vote yet. This fact doesn’t haunt me per sé, but it frustrates me to no end. I believe my vote would make a meaningful contribution to my town, state, and country. In the last election, I was struck by the messages sent by celebrities, politicians, and others calling for people to vote in advance or show up to the ballots.

A Message to Youth

Of course, there are many ways to get involved outside of voting. You can go canvassing for a local politician, attend a rally, write an article, engage in discussion — the opportunities are endless. But to all people between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, let me say this: please, please pre-register to vote.

I was at ALA Girl’s State when I pre-registered. There was a table in the middle of our town fair, so despite other tables covered in games, candy, and presentations occurring all around, the line for pre-registration was the longest of any other table. I remember triple-checking to make sure everything was right before I finally handed it in. It took under five minutes, so when I turn eighteen, I won’t have to wait another minute to cast my ballot and ensure my voice is heard.

I have a friend — an extremely intelligent, involved, and hardworking friend, who is absolutely the kind of person one would want to cast a ballot simply because you know they’ll do a very good job of choosing — who completely forgot to pre-register and is scrambling in order to make sure he can vote on Prop 50.

Please don’t let this be you.

Pre-registering to vote is simple and takes very little time. For people within this age range, I guarantee that you spend enough time doomscrolling each day to pre-register maybe fifteen times over each day. Civic engagement starts with being prepared to cast your ballot. Don’t let this opportunity slip away from you.