We have the power

America is so harshly divided about everything President Donald Trump does, from the way he communicates with other people to the policies he is implementing. It is easy to become upset and hateful when our president has an exclusive agenda. A relaxing scroll through Facebook or Twitter before bed can easily turn into a heated argument with friends, family or even strangers. This division and hatefulness sheds light on an important question: “Is this the direction we want America to go?”

It is not.

The next presidential election is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Although this date may seem far away, it represents the turning point the United States of America needs to show that we support all people despite their age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation.

According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, referred to as CIRCLE, the National Exit Poll suggests that among youth aged 18 to 29, 55 percent voted for Hillary Clinton and 37 percent voted for Donald Trump. CIRCLE estimates that 23.7 million American citizens aged 18 to 29 participated in the 2016 presidential election.

According to CIRCLE, only half of all American citizens aged 18 to 29 voted in the 2016 presidential election.

If more young adults felt the initiative to break the lazy and uncaring stereotype that is associated with them, and took the time to go vote in the 2016 presidential election, the outcome could have been different.

In the election of 2020, we will have the opportunity to make the outcome different. However, this time we must take action. Most millennials born in 2002 and earlier will be able to vote in the 2020 election. This gives our generation more leverage against older generations, especially because in 2015 the United States Census Bureau reported that millennials born between 1982 and 2000 outnumber baby boomers 83.1 million to 75.4 million. Millennials are also the most diverse generation in the United States of America. The United States Census Bureau also reports that 44.2 percent of millennials are part of a minority race or ethnic group, which means they have greater cultural acceptance and are more understanding of people who are different than they are.

We, as a country, should strive to be inclusive. We should be accepting and kind to people who are different from us, even though our government is quickly repealing inclusive guidelines and replacing them with guidelines that only support an exclusive group of people.

In the election of 2020, we need to take advantage of the leverage we have against older generations and go vote. We need to vote for the individual who will do what is right for the United States of America as a country instead of what is right for a few individuals; we need to vote for the individual who supports people instead of tearing them down.