In light of it being an election year (and my first time voting!) I wanted to reflect on my experience, what I learned, and how I plan to be more politically educated in the future. 

I don’t come from a family background where much emphasis was placed on civic responsibility, keeping up to date with the news, or on the importance of voting. In fact, politics is something rarely discussed at home. Coming into this presidential election year I knew I needed to step up and take initiative to learn about the candidates, main points, and form my own educated opinion. 

One thing that was really motivating was seeing all the voting tabling happening downtown and on campus. I had to figure out on my own how to change my address and find my polling location so I was extra thankful for those people helping others figure out how to register and answer questions. The week leading up to November 5th, I realized it was probably also important to figure out the other positions up for election (beside the presidential candidates). It was actually really easy to find my sample ballot, though I did have to figure out which precinct I was in to find the exact ballot that would be at my polling place. 

Doing the research, though it took some time, was surprisingly fun. As a first time voter I’m not really sure what criteria other voters look for (feel free to share!) but I was definitely judging how candidates organized their website, shared their main issue points, and how personable and reasonable they appeared. It was also really helpful to watch videos of the candidate speaking or in a debate to see how they think or present themselves.

As a hyper rational saboteur, I wanted to be best prepared for voting day. I made a plan for when I was going to be there, already had my sample ballot filled out, brought my ID, and headed to my polling location. The process was really smooth and I only had to wait 10 minutes before I got the ballot, filled it out, and submitted it–of course I got my little sticker!

For the future, I hope to be more educated on all party candidates throughout the year leading up to every election (not just during presidential election years!). I think I did an alright job staying up to date with the news and reading the New York Times daily. However, I’d like to be more aware of the efficiency and effectiveness of each candidate’s experience and administration, something I struggled with this year. My plan is to watch more news, read more about political moves being made locally and in DC, and grow to be a more confident voter in future years!