The 2020 General Election will be the first opportunity for many young Americans to cast their vote, including the Rapids rising star Cole Bassett.
Bassett, 19, was born and raised in Colorado, and his enthusiasm around making his voice heard for the first time in an election is palpable.
“I think it’s important because every vote counts,” Bassett said. “It’s better off for our country if we pay attention to what’s going on and make our voices heard.”
Bassett chose to use the ballot sent to him by the state to cast his vote via mail. While the deadline has passed for mail-in votes, all those eligible in the state of Colorado still have plenty of options.
Voters can drop off their ballot at a voting box, go to a polling location to vote early or vote in-person on Election Day. Colorado voters have the ability to register to vote up through November 3.
“I just think that everyone’s opinion matters,” Bassett said. “Obviously, everyone has different opinions, but the most important thing is that you actually get out there and voice your opinion and make your voice heard because it does matter. A lot of my friends especially at a young age, they would say ‘Oh nah, I’m not going to vote, I don’t feel comfortable.’"
But Bassett feels young people actually comprise one of the most important demographics.
“The younger generation is going to be the one to take these office positions and run the economy next,” Bassett explained. “I think we need to start paying attention now and realizing what’s going on in the country and how you can make a difference. That stems from voicing your opinion and putting it out there. I think that the more young people that vote, the better feel we have as country of where we want to go.”
This year’s ballot goes far beyond the presidential election. Colorado also has 11 statewide policy questions that will be voted upon, a senate race, Colorado board of education election and more.
To help provide information on the issues, Colorado sends out an unbiased packet along with your mail-in ballot to give voters the facts on the issues.
“A lot of the stuff on there I didn’t know at first,” Bassett said. “I thought it would just be presidents on the ballot, so I was obviously tuning into all the debates, but I had to catch up on the informational packet. So that was definitely interesting. Like, I had no idea they are trying to introduce more Grey Wolves into Colorado. So, getting informed on stuff like that is just interesting to me, and then I got to decide what I want.”
In order to encourage everyone to make their voices heard, Bassett, the Rapids and adidas have teamed up to offer fans an adidas Voting Prize Pack. Residents in Colorado simply need to reply to the below social media post – either on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram – with a photo of their voting sticker or a photo of them sending in their ballot, as proof that they cast their vote.
Each person who does so will be entered to win the prize pack, which includes a signed Bassett jersey, an adidas voting t-shirt and a pair of Ultraboosts. Click here for terms and rules.
For more information on voting in your area in the upcoming election, check out the adidas voting hub.
