The 2022 Texas General Election is on track to be one of the biggest in state history. Over half a million people turned out on the first day of early voting. Candidates have raised hundreds of millions of dollars, and the races are some of the closest in state history.

But the result of this election and the direction of the state will ultimately be decided by one group–young voters.

This group is one of the largest and fastest growing demographics in the state.

This year, one in three Texans eligible to vote will be under the age of thirty. So clearly, whichever party wins the youth, will win the election. The issue lies in the fact that our state has one of the worst youth voter turnout rates in the country. According to the Texas Tribune, in 2014 just 8% of young voters went to the polls. While turnout increased during the Trump presidency, it is still incredibly low.

Students need to understand that their vote can and does make a difference. There is no excuse to believe their vote doesn’t matter.

Today young people are some of the most vocal in politics. They routinely protest with passion and raise awareness for causes they care about, but they don’t turn out to vote with the same enthusiasm. In short they are talking the talk but not walking the walk.

Inconvenience is not an excuse to skip going to the polls. Several elections

every cycle come down to a singular vote. The right is easy to take for granted, but it’s so much more than simply casting a ballot for someone. It’s casting your ballot for a cause.

Voting in Texas is not particularly easy, and information is not always clear. Throughout history obstacles have been in the way for voters of all ages, races, and genders. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan policy research think tank, “Texas maintains an in-person voter registration deadline thirty days prior to Election Day, has reduced the number of polling stations in some parts of the state by more than 50% and has the most restrictive pre- registration law in the country.”

Information on what is on the ballot is also hard to find, but that means it’s even more important young voters start early learning about the process. Even when voters choose a candidate that loses, it shows the winner that there is a group of people whose concerns should be taken seriously.

When we vote, we send a message–we tell politicians what we’re okay with happening.

We are young Texans after all, residents of the state where anything can happen, and our dreams can be achieved. It is up to us in this election cycle to make a stand and decide where we want our state to go. We can bring our friends to the polls and engage in healthy discourse.

Instead of being ignored we have the opportunity to become a force to be reckoned with.