So Far, Young People Are Vastly Out Numbered At Texas Midterm Polls

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I voted this past Monday for the midterm elections because the seats that are up for grabs are incredibly important to my day to day life as a Texan. The Governor and the Lieutenant Governor are powerful positions in Texas. I know this because I received the most basic civics education and I actually paid attention. Again, it's that whole "this directly effects my life" thing.

I was happy to see a couple dozen people in line. The person in front of me was young- with lovely purple highlights and Dr. Marten sandals. Every other person was a senior.

My personal experience isn't just anecdotal, it's what is happening all over Texas, according to the numbers as reported by NBC. Nearly 800,000 votes have been cast, with 4% of the folks voting being 18-29, 6% being 30-39, and 8% being 40-49. Meaning less than 20% of the people who voted so far are under 50. Nearly 60% of people who have voted are 65+.

I hope that with age comes wisdom, because if young people don't vote we literally get no say in anything that happens in our state. Politicians won't even bother to listen to anything we have to say because they know we won't vote. It's our fault if we don't have the Texas we want.

If you are legally able to vote, get it done as soon as you can. Things happen, and you could find yourself too busy or indisposed to vote on election day. You owe it to yourself to have your say, even if you don't believe it will make a difference. Because it DOES make a difference. This election could very well be closer than you think, and even if you don't get your desired result, we need to let people in power know that we will show up and they do need to listen to us.