The average age of the citizens of Laconia NH is 47.9 (according to most current available census data), and with only one Democratic candidate even being close to that age, it shows how much of a disconnect the potential lawmakers have to us, as citizens. If you already think there’s a huge disconnect from the average age, imagine being the eighteen-year-olds who are fresh out of high school and trying to build a life.  They look to their future, and they are seeing their leaders who grew up in another era. How can they hope to get their voices heard when even the mere mention of social media and outreach to the younger crowds make the older generations sneer. 

Multiple times over the past few months I have spoken to candidates on both sides of the aisle about needing to get out there and push to get younger people voting, and how in today’s society social media is the number one place to do it.  My thoughts have only been met with talks of door knocking and letters to the editor. My generation and those younger than me no longer answer the door for strange knocks, or even read newspapers.  Everything we need to know about the news is right on our phones or devices.

I just recently started getting into local politics, and I found so much that I didn’t even know.  I didn’t know we had local political groups that we are invited to attend, something I’m sure other young folks also don’t know. After all, I’ve never seen any young people  at these meetings but we do see them on social media complaining about the laws being made locally and federally.  We also hear from them, and they feel like they have no say in what’s being done. It’s beyond time for the younger crowd to get involved, and it is up to these older generations to learn how to adapt to communicating with the younger generations.  They need you as advisors, to impart that wisdom instead of just keeping them out so they can keep trying to get elected themselves.  Elected offices should not simply be for the retired.

I am a Republican myself, but this is not a single party issue. Yes, it seems that everywhere we look locally, the Democrats tend to be the older crowd, but we still are missing the 18–35-year-olds in the Republican party as well.

I implore our current party leaders, beg, demand of you to stop pushing so much to exclusively the older generations, and to help these new guys and gals to get involved. 

This world is for all of us to live in equally, and we all need to have a say in how it’s run as well.

Ronnie Abbott

_{Ronnie Abbott is a local photographer, founder of FYP Media – facebook.com/fypmedianh}