Young people today are occupied with so much, so for a lot of them, voting is the least of their worries especially when it comes to midterm elections. Many think midterm elections are not as crucial or that they don’t affect us because, after all, we are not selecting a new president, right? However, the NAACP, Lambda Theta Alpha, and Alpha Kappa Alpha branches of St. John’s University beg to differ, and are in fact here to stress the importance of voting, especially for women and people of color. On Monday, October 29, these chapters hosted an event called “Her Right, Her Vote” in order to educate fellow peers about the history of women’s suffrage, voting legislation, and how important their votes are. Many points and topics were touched upon and there was an abundance of information to learn from throughout the presentation.

One of the major points that became a recurring theme throughout the presentation was how not too long ago, voting rights for women and most people of color did not not exist. Therefore, if there is an opportunity to vote now, it should be practiced.

“It’s important to hold this event before election day because this new generation of people don’t understand what it truly feels like to not have the right to vote,” Tamia Morris, President of the NAACP said. “I believe that understanding what our ancestors had to go through to get us to the point we’re in right now will inspire people to vote for those who couldn’t.”

Morris was also one of the speakers at the event.

The gathering was a reminder that in many ways, the midterm elections can be more crucial than the presidential election. One person not voting, could be the end of someone’s election, who could have possibly brought about the change we all needed. “[Some people] just don’t comprehend the importance. This is not something that is taught to them,” Morris said in response to why some young people don’t vote in the midterm elections.

“Honestly, everything I know about midterms, I had to research myself because neither my parents nor teachers informed me,” Morris said. “If we educate [young people who don’t want to vote], they will think twice about not voting.”

The event stressed that history should remind us not to make the same mistakes, by not voting you may be risking that possibility. These ideas and principles were beautifully emphasized at the “Her Right, Her Vote” presentation, and should be taken well into consideration.