I know that at this point in the election cycle, the last thing you want to do is read another article about politics. Your Facebook is probably drowning in Bernie memes and Crazy Uncle Walter’s long posts about how Trump will save us all. Twitter is much the same (minus Crazy Uncle Walter, because we all know he still calls it “The Facebook” and thinks that if he types a question into his status it’s the same as Googling it, so god forbid we unleash him on Twitter). This election, one of the first presidential elections for a significant body of young voters more socially aware than ever before, is the first chance for America’s youth to directly and actively contribute to the political system in ways many haven’t yet been able to.

Here’s a very simple rundown of how the American presidential election process works: nominees for the major political parties are voted on through primaries and caucuses, officially confirmed at party conventions and then voted on in the presidential election in November through the hot mess of the electoral college. Voilà! A president-elect is born.

I would, however, like to point out something very significant missing from the official process of electing the next president: nowhere is the number of times you share a dank Bernie meme or tweet the John Oliver video on Trump or say “it’s time we have a female president” taken into consideration when it comes to electing a candidate. Certainly your online presence and sworn verbal support may influence the political views of others, but sadly retweets don’t count as official votes in an election.

This is why the rampant attitudes of “I’m voting for Trump because I think it’ll be funny,” and “I won’t support Hillary because of Bill so I might not vote at all,” “I’m not going to vote for Bernie because he won’t win” or “if Bernie isn’t the nominee, I’m not voting” and, worst of all, “it doesn’t matter who wins so why vote?” are so very, very, very terrifying. It’s easy to get wrapped up in a train of disillusionment about how the key players in politics are often old white dudes vastly disconnected from the voices and opinions of the youth. This doesn’t come as a surprise, however, when you’re confronted with the fact that according to the US Census, 38 percent of 18-29 year olds eligible to vote actually casted ballots — an absolutely dismal voter turnout rate compared to the almost 70 percent of eligible voters over the age of 65. Now, why are we confused by the representation of interests among American elected officials?

To quote a wise woman, Dr. Cristina Yang who knows a lot more than I ever will: “If you want crappy things to stop happening to you, then stop accepting crap and demand something more.” If you are sick of feeling like your voice doesn’t matter in politics, if you are sick of feeling like you are not playing an active role in the future of our country, do something about it. Millennials now outnumber baby boomers in the voting age population of the US. We have an incredible opportunity now to shape the way our nation is run because of the impending presidential election and the fact that 88 percent of Congressional seats are up for grabs this year. Now is your time to get involved in the future of the country, and if you don’t take this chance to make a difference in American politics; in my opinion, you officially lose your right to complain about how the country is run. So I implore you, on behalf of the generations both alive today and those to come — please vote. Unless you’re voting for Trump. If so, please double check your motivation to have a walking bigoted Dorito elected to office.