Politics are something that affects every American. Every day, important decisions are being made, but many Americans take no interest in politics. Now more than ever it is important for Americans to be taught the structure and importance of our government. Politics should be taught earlier than high school so that voters are prepared to make informed decisions about the person they are voting for. 

I believe that politics is the most important tool the average American has today. Political knowledge is extremely important as decisions like gun control, abortion rights, and wages are being made right now. Politics must be taught before someone is able to vote a politician into office who may not hold the same values as they do. 

American people need to know that they are in control of a large number of the decisions that go on in the American government. Having knowledge of politics before being able to vote makes a person more informed and decisive about their vote. If a person knows the decisions and policies that could be implemented by a certain politician then they can inform others about these decisions too.

Teaching politics early on prepares young people for voting. An article from VOA in October tells us the youth vote could be “pivotal” in the upcoming election. Youth being taught about voting rights, as well as how to vote is vital. This will increase the legitimacy of elections by educating our future voters and making sure they are educated and knowledgeable of the candidates.

Young voters bring diversity, VOA says Generation Z, the cohort of Americans born roughly between 1990 and the early 2010s, are the most diverse generation in U.S. history. This would mean we could see voters from all across the board, voting on the issues most pertinent to them, bringing about real change and helping to shape the future. We could see many pieces of legislation that could help to combat racism, sexism, and other problems overlooked by current politicians.

Most Americans are only interested in big elections that they view as important. Midterm election voting turnouts are substantially smaller. If we educated youth on the fact that every election is a big deal and could lead to important decisions we could see record-high Midterm election numbers. These elections impact the way of life for these young people directly, as the politicians they are voting for are state and local positions. We need to teach young voters that all elections are important and have effects. 

Some people may think that politics should have no place in a classroom, but what are classrooms if not a place that informs and educates young people about the world around them? We must make sure that the younger generation is well-informed and prepared to put the right people in places of power and stand firm in their beliefs.

I believe that we should teach politics from 8th – 11th grades as a part of social studies classes to make sure these young people are fully aware of what voting is and how to do it. We need to guarantee a future of educated voters.