Election Anxiety
For most young adults, today feels extra important. No matter their depth in knowledge and understanding of the US government and its systems, these young people are aware at minimum that things that matter to them will be impacted depending on today’s election. It’s not even about the President, but rather state legislature (i.e. battleground for debates over rights), State Supreme Court elections (read: ACLU), and House of Representatives, and Senate (read: majority). If you were anything like me as a high school senior who didn’t pay one lick of attention in US Government my Senior year (sorry, Mr. Felton!), you’ve had to teach yourself this over the years to make sure you understand why your vote does matter.
First, it can be exciting to engage in civic duty as a legal adult and exercise the right to vote. Not everyone has that right, and for those who exercise it, their voice matters. I’m not writing this to sway a young adult either way (or the reader for that matter), but rather educate folks as to why this election feels even more anxiety-inducing for young adults (ages 18-26+) than past elections. You see, a lot of the reasons why young adults are anxious to begin with continue to be talking points and/or bills passed that have daily impact. Some of those top issues include:
Human rights (read: LGBTQI rights)
Healthcare (read: Prescription prices, and Medicare)
Abortion (read: state-specific laws, and Roe vs. Wade)
Immigration (read: Border Security Bill)
Economy (read: Livable Hourly wage, Unemployment Rates, etc.)
Climate change and/or environmental issues (read: Fracking)
Taxes (read: Tax Cuts vs. Increases)
War (read: Israel-Gaza War)
Thankfully after today, we can stop getting the non-stop calls, texts, and emails regarding who to vote for. For the last four months, our young adults have been inundated with tv and social media ads. Social media and tech use is something that causes stress from the jump, then add-to it some aggressive political campaigns and you have the perfect storm for an election-induced anxiety attack. So, if you are or know a young adult who may be struggling today, reach out to them and comfort them. If they voted, they can rest assure that their vote mattered – no matter the outcome. And then depending on voter turnout and the results, encourage the young adult to get more involved locally with grassroots organizations or politics. The best way to end election anxiety is to be involved proactively in change for the next election cycle. Let’s channel that anxiety into having purpose in the local community.
Now, get out and vote!
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
