With over a third of Etowah High School students approaching the grand age of 18, many are gearing up for the fact that they will be able to vote in the next 2024 presidential election. While Etowah is brimming with young voters, the government itself is brimming with representatives who are nearly four to five times as old. These government officials may be able to hide their physical age with some concealer, but makeup is not doing much to cover their actions.
“I do not understand how these old people keep getting into our government. I am trying to see an intelligent person under the age of 50 in our offices,” Colby Weiner, freshman, said.
What began as a joke regarding President Joe Biden’s questionable ability to ride a bike has now turned into a concerning means for discussion after Senate Grand Old Party (GOP) Leader Mitch McConnell was seen freezing up twice on live television. McConnell first froze at a news conference at Capitol Hill on July 26 for 19 seconds, and the second occurrence followed shortly in August at an event in Kentucky for 30 seconds before he finally resumed answering reporters’ questions. In each instance, McConnell can be seen with both his eyes wide open and his mouth slightly gaping. Many have speculated that these will not be the only times we see this from him, as McConnell has now reached the age of 81.
“From both sides of the parties, Democrats have Biden falling up the stairs, and Republicans have Mitch McConnell freezing on live TV multiple times. I think this should be a signal that we need a transition of this elderly government into a new youthful group,” Neal O’Connor, senior, said.
The memes that have risen across the internet depicting McConnell’s freezes are certainly entertaining, but with these continued occurrences of government officials showing their age, some American voters are beginning to worry about who is leading their country. With the House representatives’ average age being 59 and the Senate being 64, new voters are becoming further and further disconnected from their representatives as they watch them make legislation that they may very well not be around to witness play out.
“Republicans are not the only ones fielding concerns about their health and fitness to serve in Congress. With a median age of 59 years old, the House and Senate are older today than at any point in modern history. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, who at 90 is the oldest member of either party in Congress, has come under immense bipartisan scrutiny for continuing to hold her Senate seat despite a series of debilitating health issues,” a CNBC article said.
As voters want to ensure that those who will be leading them will not only understand their modern-day issues but will also be alive long enough to amend them, groups of Americans across the country are advocating for younger representatives. However, while the movement is still small, with each new president on the ground next to his bicycle or senator frozen in front of hundreds, the effort is rapidly growing.
“I think we should have younger representatives, as there is a smaller chance of them having some sort of medical issue,” Kamryn Williams, sophomore, said.
Whether a student will be voting in the 2024 election or will not have the opportunity to do so for eight more years, if they want leaders that can truly represent them and their modern-day issues, it is vital to get out to those polling booths and speak up for the changes they desire.
