In recent years, our outlook toward democracy has not advanced but instead, begun to hurt our community.

It is not because of the structure of our government, but rather, the lack of engagement by its citizens. This political apathy makes us vulnerable and is detrimental to the way government functions.

Our state had its lowest voter turnout in history during the 2014 general election. Only an abysmal 52.3 percent of registered voters fulfilled their civic duty, paling in comparison to the 82.4 percent of voters who came out to the polls in 1992.

Low voter turnout is attributed to a myriad of factors, including a feeling of disconnection with the mainland, lack of confidence in the power of one vote, and limited knowledge of politics. This is especially evident during presidential elections. Hawaii votes become a mere afterthought since the rest of the nation’s votes are already tallied by the time our polls close.

Political engagement should include all citizens, including those who cannot yet vote. Educating our youth about political activity and civics while they are young emphasizes the important role they will play when they do reach age 18.

In a survey we helped conduct of about 50 high school students, less than 30 percent could name all the candidates running for president. Of these students, less than half stated they were able to participate in a deep discussion about politics in class. The lack of involvement many adults experience before the age of 18 results in trends like the decline in voter turnout.

Additionally, although the digital age has made news readily available, a few problems can occur.

The above survey also found that many students acknowledged their limited knowledge of the news and that most of the news they do receive is only via social media. Too many people interpret being political cognizant as merely clicking through links on Twitter or Facebook. However, relying on social media for news restricts people to the most popular and polarizing news.

Since attention is caught by the most polarizing news, provocative headlines and articles quickly rise to the top — especially during election seasons. As a result, many voters merely rely on characterizing Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders with their respective caricatures of “racist,” “liar” and “socialist.” Being informed by generalizations of political candidates provides a limited scope and nascent understanding of political intricacies. It leads us to believe, wrongly, that we are well-informed, if we latch onto that one aspect.

Many people say that the youth are too young to offer meaningful contributions on the decisions made within the system. However, getting involved does not necessarily mean introducing legislation or running for office. Getting involved could simply mean voicing a well-conceived opinion. Generally, opinions are formed through a combination of thoughts and knowledge. Opinions can turn into a voice only if they is shared.

Generation Us, a student-run news site now under construction (www.generationushawaii.org), encourages students to voice their opinions by writing about what matters to them. This essentially empowers students to initiate political engagement themselves and cover topics they are passionate about to directly inspire their peers who read it.

Political engagement is essential for Hawaii to continue to progress. It needs to be seen as the civic norm. In order to do this, we need to prioritize participation in all aspects of our government and society.

Instead of regarding our rights as something we are entitled to, we must regard them as something we have earned.

“Raise Your Hand,” a monthly column featuring Hawaii’s youth and their perspectives, appears in the Insight section on the first Sunday of each month. It is facilitated by the Center for Tomorrow’s Leaders, a local nonprofit working at the high school level to engage, equip and empower Hawaii’s homegrown future leaders to start making a difference now. For more, see www.CenterForTomorrowsLeaders.org.