By Amy Lin

Here at Young Invincibles, we’re winding down from National College Affordability Week, where discussed the cost of college and student loans. We always encourage young adults to get involved with us, whether it’s on Facebook or Twitter, or in person. It’s also an important time of year for all of us: election season.

We all see the signs, watch the commercials, and hear candidates on TV speaking about their positions, plans, and ideas for America’s future. So listen up, ask questions, make up your mind, and VOTE on November 6^th. Why, do you ask?

Here are 7 reasons you have to vote this November and in every election:

1. You’re a “grown-up.”

Remember when you were a kid and you wanted to stay up late and eat candy and do all the fun things adults get to do? I’m sure you specifically longed to practice your 15^th, 19^th, and 26^th amendment rights. Being an adult means putting on your grown up pants, deciding what’s important to you, and making your voice heard in your community by voting. To find out if you’re registered, or to find your pollling place, click here.

2. People were imprisoned and force-fed because they wanted to vote and couldn’t.

Remember when women couldn’t vote?  Me either, but it wasn’t that long ago. Women protested about their lack of rights some went on hunger strikes. They were thrown into prison, force-fed through feeding tubes, and harassed and shunned by society.

If someone wouldn’t let you vote just for being a woman, wouldn’t you want to just punch ’em (we don’t condone violence)?

3. People were beaten and died because they wanted to vote and couldn’t.

Although all men were technically allowed to vote by 1870, about a hundred years later, many African Americans were still denied voter registration and turned away at the polls. In Alabama, people protested, had sit-ins, and held demonstrations over the right to vote. And those actions were met with violence.

4. This hole in the street wants you to vote. 

Look at this hole – it’s sad! Can’t you hear it pleading for you to go to the polls?

You’ve driven by countless holes like this one.  At some point you probably thought,  “Someone needs to fix that!” YOU are the one who fixes it – YOU pick the people who decide how to spend your money by VOTING. Local elections can be even more important than national ones.

5. If you don’t vote, this kid’s going to start crying.      

This little kid wants to go to school and learn. You probably want that, too.  When you vote, you get to decide those things – who’s on the school board, how much teachers get paid, and how much tuition costs for college students. Look at this kid’s face. Don’t you want to make sure he gets to go to a good school? Don’t make him cry – go and vote.

6. In some countries, being able to vote is a new and exciting right.

Many of us in this country take for granted that we are allowed to vote; in some countries, not being able to vote is a recent memory. If you could remember what it was like to live in a society that banned you from voting, you’d be at the polls already.

7. You want one of these stickers.

Who doesn’t like stickers?

If you have questions about voting or want to learn more, visit canivote.org.