What Underage Voters Want You To Know

Voting is a privilege afforded to us as human beings (and as woman, thanks to the efforts of some very brave women back in 1920). And, as Election Day comes to a close on Nov, 8, the young women who can't vote because of their age want you to know how very powerful your voice is as a woman, and US citizen right now. In case you're thinking of not exercising your democratic right in selecting our next Presidential leader, a powerful video from the Huffington Post demonstrates why you should most definitely reconsider. As the young women (who are from the group Smart Girls, which is part of the Educational Alliance Boys & Girls Club in New York) in the video below demonstrate, voting as a young woman has never been more important.

The Huffington Pos reported that the girls featured in the video are part of a girls-only group who usually meet weekly to discuss pertinent social and psychological issues that affect young women in the US today. Most recently however, they met to discuss election prospects and voter rights in a country that deems them too immature to have their say.

So, in case you were lacking in motivation to get down to your local polling station today, this is what one group of underage female voters want us to remember when casting our votes today:

We Should Show What We're Capable Of

In 2015, a report from the World Economic Forum revealed that the US is ranked 28 out of 145 countries for divisions between the sexes. And other studies show, women make $0.77 for every $1 a man makes. If we want to make greater progression in terms of gender equality, we need to show political leaders that we care. As Askousa, aged 13, says in the video: "it's our chance to show what we're capable of, and you should be a part of this decision."

History Should Definitely Not Repeat Itself

In the past, scare-mongering political tactics led to atrocities and stereotypes about minority groups worldwide. As women, we have a political responsibility to ensure we don't feed into a damaging rhetoric designed to make us fear our neighbors. As 11-year-old Jamie Lynn quite rightly points out, we must take into account global history if we want to create a brighter future for ourselves and our children. "Donald Trump scares me because I don't think he really understands the history," she said. "I don't want him to repeat anything that has already happened."

We Should Think About How The Country Can Improve

Sara, aged 13, quite rightly stated that we should "think about what is going to make the United States a better country." Will bigotry, misogyny, and restrictions on ethnic minorities entering our wonderfully diverse country help benefit the nation as a whole? Definitely not. We need to think smart and think longterm if we really want America to be considered a great place to live.

Watch the video in full below:

Images; HuffingtonPost/Facebook