Letter: Schools don’t prepare you for voting or politics

The problem is not lack of political party choice, but rather not knowing what the parties are. Though I was a good student, I left high school not knowing the difference between Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, elephants and donkeys or left and right. It is sad that this is normal.

I, like many youth, do not know who to vote for in my first election, because I do not know what each party stands for, and I do not know how to find out. I am relying on my parents to teach me how to vote, and who to vote for, though I wish I could choose myself. It would be easier to not vote at all.

I start my college education, and find myself struggling in American Government class, because I was never taught about our government. Instead, I was taught how to pass a test, because, as my teachers said, I would “learn what I needed to know in college.” I took a test that told me I was a moderate liberal. I thought I was a conservative. I’m still not sure.

This story was originally published February 27, 2016 at 11:43 PM with the headline "Letter: Schools don’t prepare you for voting or politics."