TYLA Project

It’s Time to Vote America
By:  Sara Anne Giddings

With election season in full swing, it is important to discuss the right to vote and why we should exercise it.  Today every adult U.S. citizen—regardless of race, gender, religion, or class—has the right to vote, but this has not always been the case.  The right for every adult U.S. citizen to vote was secured through struggles and eventual triumphs of past events. 

The fundamental principle of a democracy is to represent the will of all people, not just the will of a subset of people. The democratic process should account for the views, desires, and opinions of as many eligible citizens as possible.  One way citizens can express their views, desires, and opinions is to vote. However, voter apathy is increasing in the United States, and individuals feel that the political process is not relevant to their everyday lives, leading to a decline in both registered voters and individuals voting.  This apathy and decline in voting is particularly relevant to the younger generation.

Of all individuals eligible to be registered to vote in Texas, 74 percent are actually registered.  In the 18- to 24-year-old demographic, however, only 40 percent are registered to vote.  In the 2012 presidential election, only 43.7 percent of registered voters actually voted.  Texas ranked 47th in voter turnout.  The numbers for the 18- to 24-year-old demographic are even lower, as only 24 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2012 election.  In this presidential election year, and every year, it is important for us as young lawyers to vote and to educate others about their right to vote.

TYLA’s Vote America project is designed to educate students that all eligible U.S. citizens have the right to vote, to stress the importance of voting, and to assist in registering eligible students to vote.  The Vote America project is based upon a video that can be viewed at www.tyla.org/voteamerica.  This video highlights the civil rights era, passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, and the 15th, 19th, and 26th amendments to the United States Constitution.

I encourage all local affiliates and any individual young lawyers interested in this project to reach out to local high schools and colleges to present this project.  It is crucial that we inform as many young voters as possible about this important civic right and register eligible voters.  The deadline for voter registration is October 11, 2016.  Therefore, any presentation of this project should be before then.  If you are interested in presenting this project, please contact me at sgiddings@smithrose.com or (325) 653-6721. 

The right to vote was not originally given to everyone, so it is certainly not a right that we should take for granted or neglect.  I encourage everyone to go to the ballot box in November and to spread the message of why voting is important.

Sara Anne Giddings is an attorney at the law firm of Smith Rose Finley, PC in San Angelo, Texas.  She currently serves as the TYLA director for District 15.