> If anything, the current climate has emboldened my peers' belief that it's important and effective. This feels true to me now as well. In 2014 there was a r

> If anything, the current climate has emboldened my peers' belief that it's important and effective. This feels true to me now as well. In 2014 there was a report[1] released that concluded that the US was an Oligarchy and that our vote did not count. Personally that seemed to align with how my friends and I felt, where corporate campaign donations and lobbying influenced our politicians decisions more than the every-person voter. Back then I had a more bleak view on the effectiveness of our democracy and I'm sure others felt that way as well. I still voted though, I have always voted since I turned 18. But ever since the 2016 election (and the 2018 mid-term elections) we've seen just how important voting is. If every eligible voter in the US got out and was able to vote, we'd have a much different government right now. 1. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746 https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-echochambers-27074746