The first presidential election in which I am eligible to vote arrives on Nov. 5, 2024.
Since I turned 18 in January 2022, I have not voted in any election. I am not yet registered to vote. And I am not sure that I will.
Even so, I have been encouraged by the River City Journalism Fund to think about the presidential election and write about what it means to me. I am told that readers of mainstream media like the Post-Dispatch rarely hear from people like me. So here goes:
I just finished my second year as a scholarship student at Harris-Stowe State University, where I am majoring in psychology. My ambition is to someday create a practice where I can help people who have experienced bullying or other violence gain a measure of agency in their lives — to put one foot in front of another toward a brighter future.
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I attended schools in the Normandy district, which as many of you know, has gone through some troubled times. But in my case, I was fortunate to have some good teachers, including Inda Schaenen who instilled in me a love for writing.
As you may have already surmised, I don’t pay close attention to politics. My family, consisting of my mom, who makes ends meet by working at a nursing home, and my older brother and a sister, have never shown an interest in upcoming elections, at least as far as I knew. I do get some news through social media and go deeper to read stories that interest me.
Voting has a long and intricate history within America. It mostly involved specific rights to certain groups that were excluded purposefully or at times unintentionally.
George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Donald J. Trump and Joseph Biden have been the presidents in my lifetime. I have almost no memory of Bush, as he left office when I was just 5 years old.
Then, until I was 13 years old, it was Obama. He was called the hope, the symbol, the proof that African American people could realize the American Dream. He signed into law the Affordable Care Act, making health insurance available to millions, and he expanded Medicaid.
Then came Donald Trump. He was disliked by so many people and found himself a target in court cases and impeachment proceedings, while still maintaining a base of loyal supporters. His critics suspected he had tampered with the 2016 election outcome or had foreign help to do it.
He was so controversial that articles involving his name could pull attention and readers to their news sites. So much more attention was focused on his antics that it often got in the way of serious discussions of public policy.
And now we have Joe Biden — known by many as “sleepy Joe” because of Trump’s name-calling. Though Biden has many accomplishments, I don’t see much from people saying very much good about him. Nor has his vice president, Kamala Harris, gotten high marks from political observers.
At the same time, both can point to some positive accomplishments concerning the economy and a low unemployment rate. But are my friends and family feeling the positive effects? I can’t say that when I see rising prices at the grocery store.
Why have I so far been uninterested in voting? Why do I not cast my ballot in the name of democracy and in honor of those who fought for the right to decide who stands at the front of our country and guides us into a new dawn?
I could assemble multiple reasons why, whether they link to my home life, my opinions on politics, or my view of how laws are put in place.
Over the next several months, a lot can happen. But my current attitude is to watch and wait. I don’t readily see how my single vote can make a difference, nor how my time should be spent engaging with politics when I need to make progress toward my degree and work on my writing projects.
These are my passions, not politics. If any one of the candidates were to persuade me that my vote could change my future, then, yes I’d register and cast a ballot. Then it would be out of my hands and in theirs.
Williams, a lifelong St. Louis area resident, is currently a student at Harris-Stowe State University. This commentary, sponsored by the River City Journalism Fund, is part of a series of op-eds in the Post-Dispatch this month from young local writers on the topic of voting. It will be shared at an event called Songs for Democracy 2024, a benefit for the League of Women Voters, June 24 at the Sheldon Concert Hall.