As students, we are uniquely positioned to influence the issues that matter most to us. Unfortunately, we often find ourselves adopting a mindset of pessimism, convinced that our voice won’t change the world around us. This doomer mentality — where we assume that change is impossible — is holding our generation back.
This is most relevant in the issue of civic engagement, and how people often say their vote doesn’t make a difference.
According to an internal survey conducted by the Moody College of Communication, only about 58% in the 2018 midterms and 75% during the 2020 presidential election of eligible students voted, meaning that more than a quarter of eligible students chose not to share their views.
This mentality is flawed since democracy relies on votes to ensure a functioning government.
“There is no question that collectively, democracy functions better when more people vote,” said Mark Strama, director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life. “Non-participation, especially recently, opens the door to the demise of democracy, and that is an outcome I don’t think any of any students I’ve met would like to see.”
This even applies to those who think their vote “won’t matter” because they’re in a state that favors an opposing party to their own beliefs.
“If you’re a Democrat in Texas and you’re frustrated with single-party Republican rule, that’s the dumbest argument for not voting I’ve ever heard because the only way that changes is by voting for change,” Strama said
Voting isn’t the end-all-be-all for civic participation, either. There are multiple avenues that you can choose to make a difference. You could volunteer on a campaign or work as a staffer for a representative you wish to learn from.
“College students and new grads can have an enormous impact in politics at the staff level in government,” Strama said.
Strama explained that he enjoyed his role as a staffer even more than his state representative role. He had the opportunity to work on policy more than politics, focusing on impactful legislation rather than electioneering.
STEM majors shouldn’t be ignored when it comes to civic duties, either.
“Many people go into STEM fields because they feel that they can make a difference in the world,” said Chandra Muller, professor of sociology at the College of Liberal Arts. “Having that kind of awareness of the public good and building the value of democracy across fields is what our research says is actually quite important.”
UT also offers resources for students, such as Texas Civic Ambassadors which provides leadership training and supervises civic initiatives for students looking to enter public service.
By engaging in civic life — whether through voting, campaigning or working for a representative — we have the power to influence the issues that matter to us.
We can’t take our ability to participate in civic matters for granted, either.
“Many immigrants come from countries where democracy isn’t an option,” Muller said.
Americans need to understand the power of our right to be a part of our government and be grateful to exercise our opinions freely.
The future is not predetermined but shaped by the collective will and participation of those who dare to make a difference. If we want to see the world change, we must first believe that we can change it.
Gupta is a statistics and data science freshman from Frisco, Texas.
