Bernie Sanders’ rise to relevance is nothing short of meteoric. He’s surging in the polls, drawing massive crowds wherever he goes, boasts unparalleled support on social media, and even has a stuffed doll in his likeness (Bernie wouldn’t be caught dead with a cheap bobblehead that looks like something from Puppet Master).
But, unless Millennials finally give into their civic duty and participate in the myriad of primaries and caucuses beginning next month, the rise of Bernie Sanders means absolutely nothing.
Speaking as a Millennial, I find Bernie Sanders to be the most appealing candidate in the race on either side. He’s a self-proclaimed democratic socialist. He’s planning on fighting corporate power and wealth inequality in the United States. Bernie Sanders believes in fair wages. He’s pro-choice. He backs up what he says on civil rights. Bernie Sanders would likely try to shut down the War on Drugs. He believes in a rehabilitative criminal justice system. I mean, what’s not to like about this guy?
Bernie Sanders isn’t just the candidate America wants, but is the candidate America needs.
But, I don’t trust my peers to do what is necessary to make sure he’s addressed as Mr. President for the next four years. Millennial voter turnout is egregious and their disillusionment with the American political system is thoroughly consuming. Millennials are now the largest voting bloc in the United States, yet, at least from my perspective, they fail to understand that the change they desire will not come unless they go to the polls.
We can get t-shirts and stuffed Bernies all we want. We can spend our time posting memes and generating hashtags like #FeelTheBern all we want. But unless we are willing to pause Call of Duty, Millennial activism means nothing. Hashtags are railroad bond worthless. All of the times Bernie Sanders has trended on Facebook or Twitter don’t mean shit unless Millennials realize that the only way for things to change is to vote for it.
I understand that there are some hurdles in place that hurt the chances of Millennials going to the polls. Voter ID laws in some states are ridiculously restrictive. Despite gargantuan amounts of campaign spending, it’s apparent that little is being done to mobilize young voters. “Big Data” is being used primarily on established voters who are “likely” or who “swing.”
I also understand that President Obama hasn’t really panned out as the purveyor of hope and change Millennials thought he would be. But, that’s still no reason to avoid the polls. Sometimes, American voters get burned. It’s in the nature of democracy.
Millennial voter turnout in the 2014 gubernatorial elections was dismal. Just 19.9 percent of Millennial voters participated in the 2014 elections, down from the 26.6 percent average of 18- to 29-year-old voters over the last 40 years. Granted that voter participation in the 2014 elections was low across the board, but the lack of participation by Millennials is complicit in why figures like Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker are still in their respective offices turning their states into the setting for The Road Warrior.
Millennials have to vote if they really want Bernie Sanders to secure his party’s nomination and (likely) the Presidency. There’s no way around it. Facebook posts and Tweets don’t win elections. If Millennials are as supportive of Bernie Sanders as they claim to be, they’ll do what needs to be done to make sure he stands a chance at winning.
There is always the possibility he may still lose the primaries and the caucuses. But it is more virtuous to fail having done everything you could to win than to fail by having done nothing. Politics doesn’t always go the way you hope, but to not even try, which in this case means vote, is to undermine not only your activism and support, but the entire democratic process necessary for the survival of the republic.
My grandfather used to say of non-voters, “if you don’t vote, you can’t bitch.” I subscribe to that criticism of voter apathy as well. If Millennials are to take over the world, and want to take over with their values in mind, they have to start now. Millennials aren’t at an age where their holding office, but there are other ways to make change. Vote. If you’re disgusted with the way Gov. Snyder is running Michigan, vote his ass out. If you’re tired of all the batshit stuff Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, says, vote him out. If you want Nevada to remain Democratic in the Senate when Harry Reid retires, get off your ass and vote for Catherine Cortez Masto.
If you want Bernie Sanders to be your next POTUS, register to vote (if you have not), educate yourself on the election, gather all of the things you need to be let into polls (no matter how bullshit they may be), get a ballot, and vote. Do what you have to do.
If Millennials want Bernie Sanders to win, they have to embrace democracy.
