Our choices have an impact

Courtesy / Kayla Sosa

Kayla Sosa, Columnist
Sep 21, 2020

The past few months have felt like a rollercoaster, but one where you are at home watching the world move by in a blur. Now it’s September and soon we have a presidential election.

While it can seem like business happens as usual while the country sits in quarantine, it’s important to remember that all decisions being made nationally are directly impacted by those we elect to lead. Whether it’s in the White House or Ottawa County, your vote has an impact on not only who leads the country, but who makes important decisions during a global pandemic, among many other things.

On Sept. 17, a “Staying in Place” order went into effect for GVSU students living in Allendale Township – a result of months of institutional and individual decisions that have a direct impact on our lives as GVSU students and community members.

Looking back at the beginning of the coronavirus, for example, our response as a country was extremely delayed compared to other countries, while our president – and other political leaders – made comments that the virus wasn’t a big deal and refused to wear a mask for a period of time. In some states, like Florida and Georgia, leaders chose to open up early while knowing the risk of the virus. With leaders making a public health issue political, the tension slows any actual productive change.

Now, we are still facing the consequences and having to close down our communities once again because some of our national leadership – as well as individuals – chooses not to take the virus seriously. Meanwhile, other countries and cities are opening up again with compliance from their communities. Nobody’s perfect, but we can at least try to make an effort for our global public health.

This November, you have a chance to use your voice to not only choose who will be the spokesperson for this nation and leader of the military, but also those that lead our cities, states and represent our communities in Congress who will have direct impact on the choices we make as a country, like during a global pandemic, for example.

This week, the GVSU Community Service Learning Center is celebrating National Voter Registration Week with something happening each day of the week. Whether you are registered to vote or not, we encourage you and your friends to attend and learn something new about your rights as a citizen.

Tuesday 9/22 – National Voter Registration Day