On Friday, I carpooled to my hometown, DeSoto, Texas, with my mom to vote. I was adamant that I should vote and make my voice heard.  

However, my mom was not planning to vote because she had not been following the election and did not feel comfortable voting for candidates that she knew nothing about. I corrected some of her ignorance in a brief conversation, explaining the main platforms of the major candidates. Though this was not the most thorough debrief, I convinced her to vote.

While your vote should not be based on ignorance – I don’t want my elected leaders voted on because they have a professional-sounding name or just because they identify with a certain party – ignorance can be easily fixed and should not stop you from voting.  

You do not have to be a political expert to find out who the candidates are and on what platforms they are running.  Organizations like the League of Women Voters publish information about each candidate and their stance in the candidate’s own words. There are readily available quick synopses on most major news sources. And of course, never discount the helpfulness of a quick google search.

I encourage all SMU students, faculty and staff to vote tomorrow.  Learn about the candidates and their positions.  Stand in that long election line.  Vote.  Take advantage of this opportunity that so many people around the world never have.  Exercise your rights.  Go Vote!

Jordan Johansen is senior history, music and anthropology triple major. She can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].