Are you an American? Are you 18? Great, then you should vote. "But Katie, I hate politics. All of the candidates are crazy, and it's better just to pretend that the election doesn't affect me."

You heard me. Your right to vote wasn't free and there is no reasonable reason for you NOT to vote. "I don't know, Katie - ". No. The voices of millennials are important, and I won't hear any more excuses.

Now that we have that established, here is an easy, five-step guide to becoming a responsible citizen.

1. Register to vote.

Wait, you mean I can't just show up and write my name down? No. You can't. Different states have different processes (for example, Missourians can register in person or by mail. If you visit your local DMV, they can get you the right paperwork). And if you go to school out of state, then look up how your state does absentee voting. Guidelines for absentee voting are relatively simple and can be easily googled. Visit this page to read the guidelines for Missouri absentee voting.

2. Research a party.

Republicans, Democrats, Elephants, Donkeys. The importance of a political party is to help guide you to a candidate that fits your beliefs. It is perfectly alright for you to vote outside of your party (don't tell your GOP Club President that, though). Important political party platforms include gun control, taxes, healthcare, government spending, government involvement, etc. For example, the democratic platform would support more gun control while the republican platform would support less gun control. Some sites can give you some insight into the political party you align with the most.

3. Research the candidates.

Not all candidates represent their party platform perfectly. If you begin to look into the presidential candidates within the Democratic Party, you will probably spend less time on research than those looking into the Republican Party. There are currently about one thousand Republicans vying for the Republican Party nomination (oh, sorry, one thousand = one dozen).

However, if you find that no members of your party seem to align with your beliefs, feel free to check out the other Party's candidates as well. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to become familiar with all of the candidates in order to be properly informed.

4. Vote in the primary.

Is this really important? Yes. Do you want someone like, oh, I don't know, Donald Trump to be the Republican nominee but you also don't want to vote for a democrat? Or are you loyally supporting Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic nominee over Hillary Clinton? Then vote at your primary!

5. Follow up.

Politicians are known for "flip-flopping." This term describes a human being that receives a direct revelation from God and then completely changes their belief systems overnight. Just kidding, there's not actually a revelation.

Unfortunately, your MVP nominee might not hold up under scrutiny. In fact, after a controversial statement or event, you might find that your candidate no longer says the same things they used to say. This is a red flag. I repeat, this is a red flag! Now, all politicians change throughout their lives, as do their political stances. But if your candidate changes his or her mind within a week, you might want to reconsider.

Don't be stupid. Register. Research. Research some more. Pick a candidate. Watch your candidate. Vote. Like a true American hero.