Commentary: Rural communities need to emphasize the importance of youth voters
I have been looking forward to the day I could cast my first presidential ballot since the third grade, when our class “voted” on who we wanted to be the next president. Standing in front of the chalkboard, I was the honorary election judge for John McCain, dutifully marking red tallies onto the board with each child who “voted” for him while another child did the same for Barack Obama. When I got home, I helped my mom fill out her absentee ballot, fascinated by the concept of the vote; of the idea that someday, I would have the chance to make an impact in my community and country. That time would not come until 2020, which felt like a century away back in the very different world of 2008.