Will the millennial vote have an impact on the upcoming election

Sample ballots were recently sent out to all registered voters. (Mackenzie Quinn / Lariat)

In the United States, there are over 75.4 million millennials in 2015 alone. Millennials (18-35) make up roughly 31% of the overall electoral vote if they are registered. Since millennials make up a large amount of our country’s population, there is a chance that the millennial vote could have a high sway in the upcoming elections.

So what is a Millennial? According to Dictionary.com, a millennial (noun) is defined as someone “born in the 1980s or 1990s.”

“I think it’s important for millennials to vote because we’re the voice of the next generation of working class people,” said Meredith Turner, 20, human communication theory. “What we decide will influence the future of the country.”

With articles coming left and right with titles such as “11 Tips for Managing Millennials” and “How to Motivate Millennials” it seems to some that millennials are nothing more than a group of kids who need micromanagement. However, many students, such as Turner, see what the millennial generation has to offer for the United States.

Voter Registration Day, a day where people across America are encouraged to register in order to vote in upcoming elections, sparked a passion in many students who feel their voice makes a difference. Registering to vote only takes roughly two minutes and the official deadline to register to vote is Oct. 24 in order to be involved in the upcoming election.

In previous years, the millennial voters have not seemed to have good turnouts. According to CNN Politics, in 2008, 50% of eligible millennial voters went to vote in comparison to the 69% of baby boomers who voted. In 2012 only 46% of eligible millennials went to the polls while the baby boomers stayed constant at a turn out of 69%. Dropping the amount of millennial voters by 4%, even though more people were of age to vote in 2012.

Many students around Saddleback College have openly expressed their concern about the upcoming election.

“I’m nervous,” said Rob Pask, 28, automotive technology.

While many registered California voters will be voting on mayoral elections as well as the general election on Nov. 8, 2016, there is a possibility that the millennial vote will drop in their voter numbers again.

This is a big election for our country, said Pask, it is important to get out there and make your voice heard.

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