According to the story related by an American lawyer when he was a government adviser in Afghanistan, the Taliban would issue threats that, if anyone is caught with indelible purple ink on their fingers, that they would cut the fingers off.<\/p>\n
Indelible ink is used to identify those who have voted already so that they can\u2019t vote twice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recall a story of a photo shown to me of an old Afghan woman. \u2026The photo showed her hand with three fingers missing but her pinky finger had indelible purple ink. <\/p>\n
\u201cAround the world, people are fighting and risking their lives just for their right to vote for their leaders. If they can go through such courage, then certainly we could go through the trouble of going out and exercise freely our right to vote,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Samantha Birmingham-Babauta echoed the same message when she spoke to the Current Issues class at the Northern Marianas College last Wednesday. She encouraged the millennial generation to exercise their right to vote. Aside from it being a civic responsibility, it is the direct way to have a voice in the political landscape of the CNMI, she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI come here not as the public information officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. but in my own personal capacity and as a young voter, like all of you here. It is important to talk about this because a study shows that millennials ages 16-34 are expected to take over baby boomers by 2019,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEventually, we are going to take over as they [baby boomers] retire, transition out of leadership roles as the young generation graduate and become professionals. It\u2019s really important that we\u2026pay attention to what is happening nationally and locally. Even though we don\u2019t have a lot of say nationally, it\u2019s important to follow national issues and see how we feel about what is happening at the national level,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
At some point, millennials will have to be ready to take over bigger roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to think if we are building an environment for us that\u2019s ready to take the next step and to lead the generations that are going to come after us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why voting is so important. Paying attention to what is happening in the CNMI and having a voice is very crucial,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
According to the CNMI Election Commission, as of March 27, 2018, the CNMI has 16,699 registered voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur biggest chunk of the age groups that are going to have the most influence on voting are the people between 18 to 55 years old. [About] 15.59 percent of the population is under the ages of 15 to 24 years old and 39.96 percent is between 25-54 years old,\u201d Birmingham-Babauta said. \u201cThe millennials have so much power because they are such a big population.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problem is we don\u2019t vote. If we do, we\u2026ask our parents, who is good? And who should I vote for?\u201d she added.
\nShe pointed out that the young generation has the power to change many things in the community if they vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cEspecially in the CNMI, we don\u2019t follow politics. We think, \u2018I don\u2019t want to get involved in politics\u2019 or \u2018It\u2019s not for me\u2019 and \u2018I don\u2019t really care so why should I vote.\u2019 But the truth is, it is our responsibility,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we have that mindset, that\u2026\u2019I don\u2019t care who is running and I will just ask my parents,\u2019 but at some point they are not going to be here to tell us who to vote for,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
A single vote goes an extra mile because numbers are powerful in the CNMI, she said. \u201cWe are so small and our system is so unique in that sense,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Birmingham-Babauta said she cannot over-emphasize the importance of the young generation in getting involved in their community.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother study said that 51 percent of the global population is under 30 and only 2 percent of young people under 30 make up members in the government. This shows that we are more than half of the population but only 2 percent of our age group and demographics make up government administrations globally,\u201d she said. \u201cIs this study true in the CNMI?… we have to be part of the change that we want to see and actually experience. Who we vote for nationally and locally is our voice and our representation. That\u2019s why it is important to vote wisely.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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