According to a study conducted by The National Center for Education Statistics, there are 20.2 million students attending a college or university this fall. With a voter turn out of 126 million people in the 2012 presidential election, it is safe to say that this year, college students will be a large majority of the vote.

With that being said, we are the next generation to enter into the work force, start families and begin paying off our college debt which means that the majority of the policies made during the next president's term(s) will impact our lives dramatically. Many students may claim that they "don't care about politics" or "have no interest," but now is the time to care, as in four years, the decisions made between now and then will dictate the manner in which we begin our ascent into adult life.

With the majority of the media coverage of this election dominated by news pundit discussions of Hilary Clinton's outfit or Donald Trumps hairstyle (things that don't matter), it can be difficult to gain an understanding on the real agendas of this election's candidates.

One candidate who has not received much media attention is Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. A large majority of his is focused on us, "young people." Here are some of the issues affecting us millennials that he plans to focus on if elected:

1) Women's Rights

According to Senator Sanders' Senator Sanders' official website, he believes that, "it is an outrage that women earn just 78 cents for every dollar that a man makes." Worsening this issue, African American women only receive 64 cents per every dollar that a white male earns while Hispanic women only earn 54 cents.

According to a study done by Forbes, the average ratio of male to females in college today is nearly 40-60. Even though there are more females attending college and entering the work force, they are still getting paid less for the same jobs. Senator Sanders plans to address this issue by signing the Paycheck Fairness Act, ending the institutionalized sexism and racism in the workforce.

Additionally, Senator Sanders is a firm believer in women's reproductive rights and the idea that women have the right to make decisions regarding their bodies (not men). If elected, Senator Sanders plans to increase funding for Planned Parenthood, assure that all women have access to contraception and give all women the option of abortion.

2) Education

Senator Sanders believes that, "Everyone in this country who studies hard should be able to go to college regardless of income." Many of us are struggling with the thought of having to pay off all of our loans in the next couple of years. Senator Sanders plans to address this by making tuition free at public colleges and universities across America.

3) Healthcare

If you are under 25 years old, chances are, you are most likely young enough to not have to worry about paying for healthcare. However, what happens in several years, when you do in fact turn 25 and this becomes an expense that you have to budget into your weekly paycheck? Healthcare is expensive especially if the business that you work for does not provide insurance. Senator Sanders believes that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege or large expense. The U.S. is the only industrialized country in the world that does not provide healthcare to its citizens and plans to join these nations by creating a Medicare for All Singer-Payer Healthcare System. This system would make healthcare a right for all Americans.

4) Nonviolent Crimes

Senator Sanders believes that, "It is an obscenity that we stigmatize so many young Americans with a criminal record for smoking marijuana, but not one major Wall Street executive has been prosecuted for causing the near collapse of our entire economy." The United States has more people incarcerated than in China and he believes that, "We must end the over-incarceration of nonviolent young Americans who do not pose a serious threat to our society."

5) Racism

Senator Sanders is a firm believer in the rights and freedoms of all Americans and is committed to ending institutionalized racism and injustice. With the increase of racially motivated police brutality in the past year, he not only wants to place body cameras on all police officers, but also wants to make police departments more community oriented by working with local organizations as well as activist groups such as Black Lives Matter.

According to a study done by the Department of Justice, African Americans are three times more likely to be searched during a traffic stop, as opposed to white drivers. Additionally, African American are, "twice as likely to be arrested and almost four times as likely to experience the use of force during encounters with the police." Senator Sanders plans to address this by reforming the criminal justice system and by reflecting the diversity of the community within police brigades.

6) Gay Rights

Bernie Sanders has been a longtime supporter of gay marriage. In 1996, Senator Sanders voted against the Defense of Marriage Act which would have made federal recognition of gay marriage illegal. In 2009, Vermont became the first state to recognize gay marriage. Senator Sanders has stood by marriage and continues to be a supporter as the election comes near, shown by his strong support for the Supreme Court legalization of gay marriage, as he said, "Of course all citizens deserve equal rights. It’s time for the Supreme Court to catch up to the American people and legalize gay marriage.”

Bernie Sanders is considered the most progressive candidate for the next presidential election and is quickly gaining ground on Hilary Clinton. If you are interested in equal rights for all people regardless of race, gender or sexuality, education for everyone, and healthcare as a right, consider Senator Sanders. Regardless of your political identity just make sure that your decision for this year's primary election is an educated one and well thought out one (not just based on who has the most signs)!