Ladies and gentlemen, women and men of these great United States of America, we are less than six weeks away from arguably one of the most influential elections the United States has seen. I hope that nothing I’m writing here is news to any of you, especially after last week’s very knowledgeable and thought-provoking debate between two of America’s prized politicians, our beloved Hillary and our highly-esteemed Donald.

On a serious note, I have been growing more and more concerned with voter turnout as November 8 creeps around the corner. Like the naturally optimistic person I am, I kept the faith I had in the American people until I started seeing statistics that show how many people actually go out to vote. Only about 60 percent of eligible voters vote according to the Pew Research Center. It’s quite frustrating to think that some people don’t go out and cast their ballots. In today’s world, there are so many citizens that cannot exercise their right to vote and cannot influence their state’s politics while there are people in the U.S. who just don’t vote, whatever their reasoning may be.

While low voter turnout is a huge issue, another issue that has me puzzled is how people are voting. Fortunately, we live in a democracy that allows us to have our own convictions without persecution — something we shouldn’t take for granted. This is the first presidential election I will vote in and the first presidential election season I’ve participated in. I remember standing amongst a sea of Bernie supporters at a rally he had in Miami back in March. This experience filled me with pride and hope for the future of the United States. Now, months later, that pride is still somewhere within me despite Bernie’s departure from the candidacy.

The concept of supporting the party you align with or the candidate you endorse is second nature to us, yet some people are opting for a more extreme option. Many voters my age have conjured up this “Bernie or Bust” mentality and now that he’s out of the race, some are choosing to either not vote or vote for a third party. While I’m all for open participation of third parties and political access for these parties, this election is unlike any other. The problem with voting for a third party this November is there’s a sad reality attached to that ballot: third parties stand no chance in this election, it’s either going to be Clinton or Trump, hopefully the former and not the latter.

The way I see it, that vote for the third party can go to Hillary instead of ultimately going to Trump. Voting must be done strategically and logically. Regrettably, many voters underestimate the weight their vote has and how much it truly influences who is going to be taking the oath in January. Voting for a third party or, even worse, not voting at all in spite of the course this election season has taken won’t serve any purpose two years down the road when we may be potentially dealing with a bigot in the White House.

What I’m trying to get at here is if you haven’t realized already, there is too much at stake this election to sit idly and watch our country go to shambles. We are lucky enough to have the agency to vote and it would be more than a shame to not participate in your country’s political affairs, especially when it affects every single citizen in so many ways. I urge you to make it a priority to go out and vote on November 8th and use your vote wisely. Make an effort to understand the importance behind every vote and the significance of voicing your political opinion, especially in such a pivotal point in our nation’s history.