No matter one’s political affiliation, American voters are experiencing an array of emotions in response to the outcome of one of the most high-intensity presidential elections in United States’ history. The future of our nation could go in virtually any direction, making me wonder how much apolitical American citizens contributed to the election results.

Many voting-age adults shy away from politics out of personal choice or individual circumstances. But should someone’s lack of political knowledge discourage them from practicing their right to vote?

One’s level of political interest is irrelevant in regards to deciding to participate in elections.

Some might argue that individuals who are less engaged in politics don’t deserve to cast their votes in an election. I’ve often heard people say it’s pointless to fill out a ballot if one lacks substantial reasoning for picking each candidate, with younger voters especially being targeted for having a limited understanding of politics.

To be transparent, I was not the most politically active during this year’s election, and I found myself feeling somewhat guilty for voting anyways. I kept myself informed of the overarching goals of each candidate, but I think I could certainly improve on my consumption of political news.

Although I initially felt unworthy of casting my vote, I came to the conclusion that the right to vote is not contingent upon one’s degree of political involvement or knowledge. Such criteria was never written in fine print in our constitutional rights and likely never will be.

According to a 2023 Gallup poll, it’s estimated that only 32% of Americans consider themselves to pay very close attention to national political news. There could be a multitude of reasons why politics aren’t the forefront of one’s life, none of which should be one’s deciding factor in choosing to vote.

I think many emerging adults have a proclivity to focus on their education or developing a career, with newly-gained political responsibilities seeming like less of a priority. Socioeconomic factors can also come into play, even if the person in office has a significant influence over the ability for individuals to stay financially afloat.

One might consider making a living to be of greater importance than politics, but that doesn’t mean they should avoid the trip to the polls. Or perhaps they are overcome with financial constraints that make devoting time to political activism unfeasible.

In addition to personal circumstances, politics as a whole can be genuinely overwhelming. When things like reproductive rights and immigration laws are on the line, it’s no surprise that many people put up their blinders out of bewilderment and fear of the unknown future.

Based on the APA’s 2024 Stress in America survey, a staggering 77% of adults noted a significant stressor in their lives being the fate of our nation. Our country has experienced peak political anxiety over the last year, and one should not be frowned upon for avoiding the stressfulness of national elections.

That being said, everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate in elections, regardless of how much they can say about the agendas of individual candidates.

I’m not promoting political apathy whatsoever; in fact, I think everyone should appreciate American democracy by exercising their rights to contribute to the nation’s future. It’s important to be as informed of the political climate as possible, especially when formulating one’s beliefs and values as a young voter.

However, I can’t get behind guilting other people for their lack of interest in politics, nor do I think apolitical individuals should be discouraged from voting.

Although the 2024 voter turnout statistics are still being tabulated, I speculate that the election could have looked different had more people felt comfortable voting. Of course it’s impossible to know whether greater turnout would have resulted in a different outcome, but it’s important that everyone feels welcome at the polls to uphold our constitutional rights.

As American citizens, we have the precious prerogative of being able to contribute to the operations of our country. One should never hesitate to exercise their right to vote simply because their scope of political knowledge is more limited than others.