Opinion: Why I’m voting this year and why I can’t ignore politics

For college student Marcus Johnson, civic engagement is a top priority. 

One of the questions I always get asked is, “Why do you care about politics?” My common answer? “Why not?” 

My introduction to politics dates back as far as the 2016 Presidential Election. My sixth-grade social studies teacher gave us an assignment, in which we were required to watch the primary debates for both major political parties. We had to take notes and were encouraged to ask questions, but that was the first time I had been exposed to the issues affecting people every day. 

In retrospect, a few of those issues did affect me daily, but honestly, I can’t think of a 12-year-old who understands their socioeconomic status in life. 

Fast forward to 2018, it’s a midterm year and Michigan gets to elect a new governor. My grandma, who had been the most politically involved person I knew, had been following the gubernatorial primary candidates and put her support behind the person she felt was the most electable and had the best chance of doing good: Former Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer. 

Since she wanted to get me involved, my grandma us up to do phone banking for Whitmer’s campaign–granted she waited until the day of to tell me. She promised me that if I did it, she’d make me tacos. Whitmer won the election and I got tacos, so to me, it was a win-win situation.

Getting involved in politics is so much more than just a hobby or a pastime. In my eyes,  actively participating in the democratic process is something that every citizen should take advantage of. Once you realize that the government works for you and is obligated to work in your best interest, it allows you to hold elected officials accountable for their actions and act upon the promises they make to their constituents. 

Unfortunately, being a black man in America, I don’t have the luxury of seeing the government in that light alone. Seeing the injustices that have been done to my community and others like it has given me a sort of motivation to my work. Over time, I’ve had many conversations with people about the attack on people’s rights in recent years. 

When I remind them that the institutions that are infringing on rights were designed to keep us as Black people from having ours, I can’t help but notice the same motivation that’s been molded into the fiber of my being, developing within them.  

Politics today has taken a very significant turn from what everyone is used to. With the country much more polarized, things have become more volatile than ever before. That hasn’t deterred the issues from getting worse. 

From immigration to foreign and economic policy, there are so many issues the government involves itself in that people deeply care about. Like many, I don’t have time to not pay attention to politics. Some too many people could be affected and to not pay attention feels reckless. 

My right to live is more important to me than the option of blissful ignorance. Those who choose to ignore politics do so because they have the luxury of knowing that they’ll be fine either way. I, along with many Democrats and college students, do not have that luxury. As a citizen, I simply ask for everyone who is able–to vote. 

There is too much at stake for all of us for a few of us to decide that ignorance is best. Too many people have died or sacrificed their basic freedoms so that I could be where I am today. I owe it to them to not only pay it forward but to not waste it. 

This is part of the op-ed series from the Michigan College Democrats. To learn more about the series and read other submissions, click here.