Are You Ready for the 2016 Elections?
(liontales/ Natalie Guevara)
Are you eighteen years old? Are you planning to vote but are not sure how to? Less than half of people that are legally allowed to vote do not. There are several reasons behind that, however the main reasons are because they simply do not know how, or they do not know what the candidates have to offer.
In order to vote in our upcoming 2016 elections you must be a registered voter. If you want to be a registered voter you must obtain these following qualifications:
- U.S. Citizen
- A resident in California
- 18 years of age or older on Election Day
- Not currently imprisoned or on parole
Notice that it says “on Election Day” which means that when you register you do not necessarily have to be eighteen, just as long as you turn eighteen by the Election Date(June 7, 2016) then you are okay. The voter registration deadline is fifteen days before elections. Once you are a registered voter you are permanently registered,unless you decide to change your name or address. The last day to register is on Monday, February 1st, 2016, so do not procrastinate and get it done!
Register here: http://registertovote.ca.gov/ or you may register at your local voter/election offices and DMV
Voting is often seen as the simplest ways of having civic duty, unless you plan on contributing thousands of dollars for your preferred candidate or political party. Most people vote by physically having to attend a polling place, others send in their vote through mail, and some decide to do Saturday voting, which only takes place three days before the election.
There several different parties you have to choose from for your decision, however media only portrays the a couple of the biggest ones. In order to get involved in the election next year remember to tune in to news broadcasts to see who is running, but most importantly to choose who you believe will be an ideal candidate.
Here is a website to help you educate yourself on your current political candidates:
http://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_candidates,_2016
If you are not really sure what side you lean towards (liberal, moderate, or conservative) then take this quiz to find out!
Jacqueline Moncada is a senior at Lincoln High School, she was born in San Jose, CA, although she is part Mexican and Lebanese. She enjoys playing all...
