Super Tuesday: The Millennials’ Playground
Our modern day “Super Tuesday” first emerged in 1988 and through several generations of tradition and candidates has taken on its own legendary personality with campaigns made or broken on the national stage viewed by millions. The first Super Tuesday noted was in 1976, when six primaries were held on May 25th where Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan were neck and neck taking three states in the Republican race. Since then, many more Super Tuesdays fluxed and flowed through the nation, sweeping up voters with rousing speeches, expectant promises and high hopes, with the intention to hone in and sway the undecideds into their campaign. The purpose of “Super Tuesday,” (the primaries), is to narrow down the front runner for the left and right wing parties for the general election. This particular year is proving to be monumental and quite the turning point for our nation at large.
In August 2015, the media began to have a clear idea of who the candidates are, and their proposed policies were already being discussed on public forums and social media all around the globe. It is not a secret that the world is looking at America during election time for a glimpse into the future of politics, and in this year, the millennials are talking. With social issues on the rise and the generation of youth being “woke” and educated, it’s coming as no surprise that millennials are taking Super Tuesday by storm. Political figures like that of Bernie Sanders and to some Marco Rubio for example, impress young voters with their history of real life experiences and their political agenda, which concentrate on being more inclusive and equalizing to the American people as a whole. With other candidate(s) who fall farther on the other end of the social equality spectrum, the last few months in social media have been an all out political frenzy of opinions, endorsements, and retweets with little end in sight.
Because the world is at an age where personal information is made accessible and public with just a few clicks, personal lives and past histories of each candidate are scrutinized or worshiped by protesters and supporters alike. It seems that no one in the millennial generation is without opinion; through my active social media presence I constantly witness those opinions being voiced online. Though I am an expat, I am an American through and through. My participation in my country’s government does not waver due to my physical absence. I have the unique experience of viewing from an ocean away. While I sit on the fence between the liberal and conservative camps, I find myself to be more Republican leaning as the campaigns go on. But what must be noted is my intolerance for anyone, most especially a person of powerful influence, to be an openly unaccepting, unwilling and unscathenly racist, homophobic, and misogynistic lose cannon who will inevitably uproot the very foundation of the accepting and tolerant principles my country has grown into. I believe we all know who I am referring to. However, through the madness and the chaos of our most recent debates, there is so much positivity to be exalted that I believe many are overlooking. Through the endless hashtags and garble of political keyboard warriors, I’m finding pride in my generation as I watch the results of this year’s Super Tuesday unfold.
I realized that living away from my home country has helped me take pride and find a deeper appreciation in what it means to be an American. I, like many of my peers, use social media as a means of expressing my values and endorsements of these most recent candidates, and I, like many others, am anxious and nail biting as a first time voter. However, being away from my hometown’s poll booth and political rallies has not made me feel excluded or feel out of the loop in the least. In the days leading up to Super Tuesday and days past, I have been watching the news and social media at all hours of the day and night. Just a few tweets into my feed and I am flooded with “#feelthebern” and “#ivoted” tweets followed by more, encouraging others to get out and make their voice heard, and it very much excites me. Pictures of stickers, yard signs and blurry images of favorite candidates on stage were all over the American millennials’ social media feeds on Tuesday. So why is that so prominent in this election? Why is it different this year? And why is it important?
As a young adult, it is inescapable to hear the voice of the older generation’s backlash at our new found privilege and sense of entitlement. We “grew up with more” and are “entitled” as they call it. They see us with our nose in our phone, head in clouds, and we get newer, fresher opportunities and that is the end all be all. ”We don’t do much for ourselves and we expect things handed to us” is probably what they hear when we are actually finding new ways of doing the things they may have failed to do. That is not to say that no one feels that way, however, millennials, are participating in one of the more profound and important duties of being an American citizen that past generations have sorely lacked on participating in.
Voting.
This week, some Super Tuesday states voter turnout was at an all-time high, with more votes still being counted. This year’s turn out is my generation’s smoking gun to our privilege. Political affiliations aside, I am proud of my peer group for being active, taking charge, using our voice and making loud and whole. With my absentee ballot in the mail, I am looking forward to seeing the continuous spur of change in voting trends around the nation. My hope is that the high number of millennial voters encourages and influences those still undecided. Why this is so important? Because of the many crossroads my country is about to face, we are in desperate need to elect our most dignified and true leader. We do not need a criminal. We do not need another unrealistic agenda. And we certainly do not need someone who encourages more chaos and fear. Voting goes beyond what we call our “civic duty.” It is us collectively saying as a nation “This is the person who we believe will best represent who we are, our values and leadership.” I am proud and relieved that voting is becoming more known as top priority, and I look forward to the results from this week as I will actively be checking all accounts. This Super Tuesday is without of a doubt one for the books and hopefully the prequel to a high voter turnout in the upcoming general election.
Photo Credit: Flickr User Jason Gessner
