Dear everyone that is "too cool/ lazy/ uninformed/ insert next excuse here" to vote in this year's election.

First off, I want to start off by saying that if any of you who did not practice your civic duty by voting in this election have voiced your distaste about the results, please sit yourself down. The fact that we live in a democratic country where we are able to have a say in the government is amazing, and we are among the small percentage of the world that can say this.

That being said, voting should not be seen merely as a privilege, but an obligation and a way to show respect to those who lost their lives in the process for assuring our freedom. Voting is the easiest way to be active in our government and give our preferences for what we want, from leaders to propositions, which are also very important.

And to those who felt that voting is not a priority: I have one question. What the actual heck?

We are blessed to have every. single. citizen. (regardless of the color of their skin/ gender) have the ability to vote and take part in our political process, yet only 55.4% of eligible voters cast a ballot in this election. Let's put this relatable terms: that is a F, as in failure, on a midterm. Granted, voter participation has never really been above D+ range (63.7%), however, with such a monumental election like this one, you would expect more than barely half of all eligible voters to vote.

Voting is a right and a privilege which a large number of people around the world do not have. We truly do live in a great country, but if we do not take the time to exercise our civil rights by voting for our next leader and propositions that can affect our daily lives, what good are the 15th and 19th amendment that so many fought so hard for? Moral of the story: voting is your voice, and thus, is important. Start spreading the word so that America can at least make it to C range, at least, in voter participation in the 2020 election.