It happens in every generation - there are a group of people (most guilty are the young people, although other demographics are included) who have no interest in politics, refuse to follow it, and are a no-show on voting day. These individuals, granted are well within their rights to withhold their vote, continue to influence the polls in a drastic way.

During this fervent and intense political season that is the 2016 election, the non-voting group is expected to be able to drastically influence the outcome of such an important race. Many people, particularly young citizens, fail to recognize the impact of their vote- and I say vote because refusing to vote is indeed a vote. When an individual refuses to vote, the total number of available votes decreases by one. So, because the "pool" of potential votes each nominee could obtain decreased by one, either candidate could consider that vote a vote for the opposing party. Let's run through an example- say Candidate X won and Candidate Y lost. Candidate X may not, in all actuality, have had the majority vote from all the citizens in the United States, Candidate X merely won the majority of the casted votes. Because of this truth, Candidate Y could have won if the voter turnout was 100 percent, but because it was not, the election process will continue to produce a result that is not a full and complete reflection of the people's choice.

This election is where the voter turnout is needed the most. A vote is a voice, and that voice can say "I want this person to lead our country," or "I don't want this person to lead our country." Without being registered to vote, one is leaving the decision to the voting population as to who will run their country, and not everyone's ideals are the same. Without 100 percent voter turnout, we as a nation cannot say our election process is accurate. In an intense situation where the estimated polls suggest a tie between the candidate's voter turnout in the popular election, a vote is all the more important and crucial.

Voting is a privilege guaranteed to all citizens of the United States. It is a privilege that so many demographics have meticulously fought for, is something that requires consistent and informed utilization. Without persistent usage, we sign away the right to make an impression on the decision of the ruler of the free world - our free world. Why intentionally deprive ourselves of this immense voice we possess? With current issues going on, it becomes a greater urgency that the election process is not influenced by the absence of participation.