Get in Losers. We're Going Voting

It's time to prove the Boomers wrong.

(@trinityskitchen / Instagram)

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This article was produced in partnership with Florida PIRG Students as a part of its New Voters Project, a non-partisan project designed to amplify the voices of young people, especially students. To make a plan to vote, please visit bit.ly/uflplan to make sure your voice gets heard on Election Day.

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Boomers love to talk bad about Gen Z. They say we’re radical, maybe even a bit pretentious, and that we don’t know how to put our money where our mouths are when it comes to voting. And you know what, they’re not exactly wrong when it comes to that last one.

But we have so much power to make real change.

Just this past spring, Gen-Z succeeded in flunking Trump’s Tulsa Rally via TikTok and has flooded President Trump’s Instagram comments with sparkles and fairy emojis. That alone should tell you how much power we have.

So, it’s time to use it where it really counts: at the polls.

This semester, Florida PIRG is working with UF students and faculty on their New Voters Project, a non-partisan project designed to amplify the voices of young people, especially students. The UF chapter of 35 interns helped register 2,000 students across the state of Florida to vote and now it is helping students get to the polls.

During this election cycle, young people will be the largest and most diverse group of potential voters in the country.

Growing up in an era of rapid change and political unrest, advocacy has been engrained in our system, nourishing us with our own values and ideas. The future really is in our hands, and if we show up to the polls in large numbers, politicians will realize they have to accommodate for our needs, too.

If you’ve had trouble getting your vote in this far, trust me. I get it. COVID-19 has made the voting process even more challenging than it usually is.

That’s why Florida PIRG is doing everything it can to help students register and turn out to vote on Nov. 3rd.

Come on, let’s plan this out.

It’s crucial for us to get our voices heard in this election, and one of the easiest ways to ensure that happens is by making a plan to vote.

Making a plan to vote will help change the narrative that young people don't vote and prove to pundits, politicians and reporters that Florida students are planning to vote. 

Where do I begin?

To make a plan to vote, head to Florida PIRGs’ website here.

Voters will receive a copy of their plan at the email address they provided, as well as reminders around key election dates, what kind of identification to bring to the polls, and information about polling places or absentee ballot drop off locations. Voters can also contact a member of the Florida PIRG team with other questions. 

For tips and tricks on how to make your ballot count, check out Rowdy Magazine's guideline here.

This generation of student voters has the power to elect the next generation of leaders who care about the issues that are most important to Florida’s youth. By voting early, by mail, or on Election Day, UF students can make an impact at the local, state, and national level and help create the future they want to see. 

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Lauren Rousseau is the Online Editor at Rowdy Magazine. She likes watching drug-store versions of The Bachelor and baking cookies at inappropriate hours. You can find her on Instagram at @laurenxrousseau and pitch her stories at laurenrousseau58@gmail.com