Despite my 18th birthday falling just one week after the 2019 election, I have never had the chance to vote in anything other than local council elections.

As a powerless 16-year-old I watched the rest of England vote for Brexit.

Then I watched the role of Prime Minister swap from hand to hand, Theresa May to Boris, Boris to Truss, and Truss to Sunak.

Despite holding a BA in the subject, this year will be the first I get to have a say in the spectacle that has been politics.

And how do I feel? Well, underwhelmed mostly.

I do have that building anticipation of how it will feel to finally mark a decisive cross in the box that will represent my say.

But at the same time, I can’t help but feel that is hardly my own vote at all. Instead, it will be a vote to block who I don’t want in power.

This is still a necessary vote though, something that many people my age seem to have forgotten after their adult years consisting of political lunacy.

It is easy to lose faith after watching a lettuce outlast Truss and listen to Sunak brag about how he didn’t have a Sky subscription as a child.

Last year nearly one third of 20 to 24 year olds had not registered to vote in comparison to 96 per cent of over 65’s registered.

But we are not an immobilised generation. In fact, I would argue we are the most morally passionate generation of all.

I see daily influxes of online posts raising awareness, of calling for change.

We care about the climate, about social movements, about human rights. But why does this concern seem to halt when it comes to voting?

“It’s just pointless,” my best friend said to me as I begged her to consider a vote.

“They’ve messed up our education, left us with unaffordable housing and I can’t even get a bar of chocolate for a pound anymore when I need cheering up.”

And though I echo many of these concerns, I believe that politicians truly do need our vote.

There are around 5.5 million young people in the UK, and in Sheffield there is a bulge in population in the 20 to 24 age group due to students.

So, if I was a Sheffield MP trying to appeal to someone like me, I’d focus on the basics.

Last week it was announced that private rents rose in Sheffield more than anywhere else in Yorkshire in the last year, averaging around £839.

This is a common concern for young people, particularly young professionals who may have graduated from university in Sheffield but been forced to move back home as they can’t afford the soaring rent prices alongside council tax.

I write this sat in a mouldy student house which my landlord has kindly left untreated.

If we are paying sky high prices for rent, the properties should at least be maintained to the standards that we are charged.

There are five teaching hospitals in Sheffield, of which medicine students heavily populate.

But without affordable housing, these junior doctors have no choice but to return to other areas.

In this election I’m hoping to not only see ideas on improving housing for medic graduates but also making working in Sheffield’s hospitals an attractive principle. Wages need to be raised and staff retention improved.

Another major issue for retaining university graduates is the ability to travel efficiently.

Amidst a climate crisis of which I am acutely aware, I aim to rely on public transport wherever I can.

The fact that travelling from London to Sheffield is more expensive than a flight abroad is frankly embarrassing.

Sheffield lies between a range of bustling cities and increasing reliability of services between these would encourage the type of green travel we need to see while providing an incentive for people to commute from Sheffield, instead of moving away.

Broadening this discussion on green travel, Sheffield is also blessed with the beautiful Peak District on its doorstep, which must be protected under a climate and nature emergency.

Living in an area that boasts such expanses of nature also provides a unique responsibility to protect it and this is something that MP’s must address.

I’m hoping this general election will see young people making their vote count and force politicians to consider concerns that have been ignored for decades.

Making ourselves a formidable force in this election will consolidate our space in the debate for years to come.