Voting Vs. Activism

As a young person in this country, the one question that I am constantly asked is, "What are you going to do with your life?" My answer never changes: "I am going to change the world." "How," you ask? Well, that is where I'm confused. Do I change society by voting for who I want to be my leader? Well, as we know that doesn't always work. Maybe it's through direct service: protesting, volunteer work, and informing people. Maybe it's both. Either way my voice is out there, and whether it's on a piece of paper or chanting in protest, both have upsides and downsides.

Some people only vote, some people only volunteer. So what makes a bigger change? What is more important: activism or voting? I spoke with young activists and youth voters to hear their perspective.

Voting

Voting is one of the oldest and most sacred ways that Americans participate in their society. Voting was set up to ensure that everyone's voice is heard. Though some may feel that it is not enough, it is still a belief to many that voting is the best way to change the world that we live in.

"Democracy depends most on citizen participation and voting is the greatest way that citizens can participate," says Amber Brown, an 18-year-old WireTap reader from California. "It is a trade in democracy, freedoms for voting, and voting for freedoms." I agree with Amber, voting is important, but its importance lies in the fact that it is a type of action.

Voting alone does not solve any problems -- it has to be paired with other forms of action. I find it amazingly ironic that some people believe that voting is the only way to get your voice heard, when women and minorities would not even have the right to vote had they not gotten out and protested for it. Without activism there would be no voting.

Activism

On the other hand, some people see voting as a waste of time and energy. "I can honestly say that my vote doesn't matter," posted 17-year-old Sierra Zambrano on the WireTap discussion board. This seems to be an idea shared by many youth today, and I can definitely see why.

Youth look at the world differently than adults; we see it with a freshness and energy that adults have trouble holding onto. We see the problems and want to change them... now . We are impatient and hate that we have to live in a world full of injustice. I know this is true for me.

I do not want to go out to the polls and vote for someone I can only categorize as "the lesser of two evils." I do not want to play a game of hit or miss where, chances are, I will miss. How do I know whether or not the person I vote for will win, or if they even deserve to win? All I can do with voting is educate myself on the candidates and even then, I have to basically guess which person I will have to protest the least... and vote for them.

Voting is not a guarantee against having to protest. The person I vote for may not win, and even if they do win, they may turn around and do something I disagree with. What if I vote for a candidate because they say that they will give more money to the homeless, but it ends up not being enough money? I still have to go out and volunteer at the soup kitchen.

That does not seem fair, but that is the way it is. Either way, I will still be out in the streets with my picket signs and chants, because today's problems will not be solved in one election. Direct action, in the form of protesting, marching, petitioning, boycotting, and destruction of property (not that I promote this), are used by activists to get their voices out there. I can see why people would not see a reason to vote, when in the end, they will still have to get up, get out, and get protestin'!

You Can't Have One Without the Other

Then again, it is always nice to have a balance. Some think voting and activism complement one another, like Amber, who says, "Voting is in activism and activism is voting." Others, like 20-year-old Kalin McKenna of Mobilizing America's Youth (MAY), an organization that educates youth on political involvement, believe that they work together.

"The question isn't which is more important, activism or voting, but why they are equally important to being an engaged citizen of this country. Activism is an avenue to get involved in a community and make a visible, tangible