I’m a 24-year-old Chicago transplant, and I have never registered to vote or voted in a presidential election—or any other election, for that matter.
I’m not alone. Nationally, only 45 percent of eligible voters ages 18-29 actually cast a ballot in 2012, the last presidential election, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
So why have I chosen not to vote? At the time of the 2012 election, I was a college sophomore living in a dorm at Loyola University—and not thinking much about the world beyond campus.
I thought there would be hoops I’d have to jump through to register in Illinois, and with the stress of my studies and a full-time job, registering to vote in my home state, Michigan, seemed just as much of a hassle.
But besides the difficulty of being a young transplant in a new city, confused by all the rules and guidelines associated with voter registration, I wasn’t actually sure where my vote really counted.
While I was in college, it felt like making real-life, adult decisions didn’t apply to me or affect me yet. It didn’t feel like it was my “civic duty ” to mark on a ballot who I thought would make a good president because, honestly, I didn’t care all that much.
I know that may sound naive, but I’m certain I’m not the only person who has felt or is feeling that way. From the numbers, it looks like I’m in a majority.
With the 2016 elections drawing closer each day, I can honestly say that I’m still on the fence about voting. Certainly working in a newsroom has helped me study up on the whole process, but I still don’t feel the overwhelming drive to want to vote.
Maybe it’s because none of the candidates has really captured my attention or made me believe they’d make a decent president.
So here I sit, going about my post-college life and still not registered to vote. I have plenty of time, but maybe like in my work life, I’ll do it on deadline.
Rianne Coale is RedEye’s transit reporter.
