Do you know what a primary is? A caucus? The electoral college? Do you know how a presidential election works? We hear about the policies, propaganda, debates and TV interviews, but does the American youth actually know how an election year works? According to the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, as of 2023,, young adults “lack basic knowledge, answering an average of only 1.6 questions correctly out of four standard civics questions; only 4% answered all four questions right.” Those who are less informed than their peers, the Institute concluded, are less likely to vote and participate in politics. To be a citizen, well versed in the political issues and policies of our day, we must also be informed about the makings of our government and how something like our presidential elections is run. We cannot understand what is going on, why candidates do certain things at different times, without first knowing the process all the way up until November 5.

A country loses its democratic identity when its people don’t care enough to educate themselves on issues that our lawmakers deal with every day. While it is our duty as American citizens to stay informed on the topics of discussion on the political and world stage, we cannot do this duty well without having the basic knowledge of how our government works. So, whether you are eligible to vote or not, or whether you even care about government and politics in general, I challenge each of you to become more aware of how our nation governs itself and to even learn a little bit about political issues and what is going on in the world every day. With this knowledge we can gain a greater understanding of the inner workings of our nation and grasp concepts that can help us make better decisions in future elections to come.