Why voting is important, a student perspective

By Emma Savery | Oct. 20, 2026

As college students, it is easy to dismiss voting as something that doesn’t affect us and as something that we can participate in later on in our lives. Also, there is often an opposition to voting because “our vote doesn’t matter.” Let me explain to you why voting is important and why you should vote even as college students. 

“I don’t know where to start”

First of all, register to vote. Next, you need to find your voting location. A quick search on the tn.gov website can give you exact locations. If reaching your location is difficult on November 3rd, please consider early voting or mail in voting. 

The second most important part of voting, aside from actually casting your vote in a ballot box, is to know who is running, and what policies they are running on. If you are voting in a primary election, you need to pick a party that you want to vote under and then research the candidates who are running for positions in that party. Once again, tn.gov has a simple list of candidates that you are able to vote for as long as you list your address. This research does not need to be extensive, wikipedia has great overviews that explain what each candidate is for or against. 

“My vote is not enough”

Students might think that their vote will not mean anything in federal elections, but the truth is that our votes mean so much more than checking a box. Current events in our nation and across the world can be overwhelming, but the first step to changing that is being politically informed and acting on those opinions. Regardless of your opinion; voting for what you stand for is very important.

Students may not have the ability to donate money, which does play an important role in providing campaign support. This should not discourage you from being a political advocate. Having important conversations with classmates, faculty members, parents or colleagues creates a chain reaction that ultimately leads to new opinions and more civic engagement.

Voting happens more often than every four years. Voting also happens for midterm elections and even special elections throughout the year. It doesn’t feel like your vote has much impact when voting for the president. The smaller you go, the more that your vote impacts the results, and sometimes the more that it impacts you. 

Voting in primaries and midterms are great because they are what decide who will be representing your district and your state. This means that only the residents of your district or state are able to vote. The state level representatives have more control over our lives.

“It doesn’t affect me” 

Politics do affect you. Local politics enforce how public schools are run and the upkeep of roads, and state politics regulate things like healthcare.

If you don’t want to vote, then don’t; but voting and being civically involved are the first steps in shaping the future that you want to live in. 

Early voting has started, and election day is Nov. 3!