Written by Sophia Reyes
Being able to register to vote is one of the primary rights and responsibilities of a now eligible citizen. While this is certainly not the only way for one to be involved in decision-making and bringing about change on a national level, it remains a significant one.
Essential to every discussion is a background, and so when we talk about the youth vote, we cannot do so without taking into account where they are coming from, and this includes where they stood as children.
Most of us are able to recall an instance where we expressed an opinion only to be dismissed by an adult; or an occasion where we were talked over, which may lead to feelings of discouragement and dejection. Oftentimes, the reasoning behind this is that older people are ahead in terms of life experience and therefore, knowledge. However, the truth is that children and the youth are no exception to experiencing that which they are excluded from. They live within the same social realities and the same material conditions as everyone else, even before they have the capability to articulate what they are going through, and this fact does not make the weight of their burdens any less. A good example would be to look at a third-grade student struggling in online classes due to the lack of resources, or an eight-month old baby suffering from malnutrition.
However alongside the aforementioned cases, it is important to note that the youth are also used in ways seemingly contrary to this. For instance, “nasa kabataan ang pag-asa” or “kabataan ang kinabukasan ng bayan” are sayings we have most likely heard particularly from older citizens, and while they are used to incite optimism in the face of stark circumstances, this should not distract from how these are other ways to frame the fact that the youth they look to will inherit the systems, conditions, and of course, the problems left behind by previous generations.
According to an article published on the Philippine news website Rappler last May 2021, the Philippine Statistics Authority may be seeing 15 million newly qualified voters, 11 million more than their initial expectations.
This increase in registered youth voters is the concrete manifestation of the shift in political climate that has transpired in the past year, during a pandemic worsened by an opportunist dictator. In spite of this, we are seeing the fruit of collective work from youth organizations, student bodies, and the like. Across generations, we have seen the capacity of student power to rightfully disturb and demand from the institutions they are a part of, and the government on both a local and a national level.
When put together with thorough research, contemplation, and pure intentions, the youth vote can be thoughtful in wanting to improve circumstances for those who are not old enough yet do so, because they understand these specific needs and requirements, having come from there themselves. It can be sensitive in its call for people from all sectors to be given the same rights and the same amount of respect. Most of all, it can be genuine in reflecting the aspirations and hopes of the voter, and so while voting is not revolutionary and therefore not the sole or permanent answer to systemic issues spanning years and years, the election of a good leader can be the gateway to bettering the lives of many, especially those at the margins of society.
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