By Travis Hall ’19, Staff Writer

Wars have been fought and lives lost to preserve democracy and free elections in the United States, yet millions of Americans voluntarily give up the right of self-determination each year by choosing to bypass the voting booth.

With perhaps the most important presidential election approaching, a large portion of the population is refusing to voice their opinion in the voting booth.  Many use their lack of knowledge about presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as a crutch for avoiding the polls.  Associate Professor of Politics Dr. Diane Johnson has thoughts on why it’s vital for those voters to do research and make their mark on the ballot this November.

“Citizens in a democracy have a certain ethic responsibility to be well-informed,” Johnson said. “To make those kinds of important decisions about who’s going to be deciding policies, who’s going to be deciding how our money is spent, who’s going to be deciding whether we go to war, whether we’re going to have health care—these are really important decisions.”

Another reason for low voter turnout, especially in this election, is the sizeable number of citizens who can’t bring themselves to vote because they bemoan both Trump and Clinton.  But what Johnson urges people to understand is that there is much more to voting than just picking between those two.

A critical part of the voting process has nothing to do with the big names at the top.  There are many local elections that will be on the ballot in November—specifically state senate and house members—that will likely have a more noticeable impact on the common voter than the presidential election will.  Plus, those who steadfastly refuse to vote for the President have the ability to opt out and only participate in the other elections.

However, Hannah Sorenson, a politics major and leader in resurrecting the Young Republicans Club at Lebanon Valley College, and Alexander Smith, leader of the College Democrats, expressed their opinions as to why voting for the President is an important part of making a difference in the future of the democracy.

“Whichever person, Trump or Clinton, gets elected, they’re going to pick the next Supreme Court Justice, and that’s my biggest reason why I think people should vote,” Sorenson said.

Placing the next Supreme Court Justice will be one of the first items on the agenda for the new President because, as it stands, there are four Republican Justices and four Democratic Justices.  Supreme Court Justices are seldom identified by political party; however, generally they are considered conservative, moderate or liberal. It is such a hot topic in the 2016 election because whichever party leader gets put into office will determine which party has the majority in the Supreme Court: a decision that will have implications for decades to come.

“Voting is how people express their views and opinions to the government,” Smith said.  “You are not supporting your opinion by not voting, you are silencing yourself. The next President is the one to appoint new judges, so this election will decide the political swing of the courts for decades.”

The 2016 presidential election will have a monumental effect on the direction of the United States for the next four or eight years.  Whether one is voting red or blue, an LVC student can be part of that decision process.