Some people are upset by the presidential choices they see coming as the primaries come to a close. They feel as though they will not be well represented by any of the candidates, and as a result, are not very happy with either party. And can you really blame them? Up until now, the presidential race has been marred by arguing as each potential nominee has taken to belittling one another. If the candidates can’t even handle respecting each other, then how can we ever imagine they’ll be able to handle being in the White House and trying to deal with issues that will impact our future?

So with all the endless bickering and insults, not to mention the outright lies and the really narrow choice of candidates, why should you bother? Here are a few timely reminders to consider.

Firstly, while we certainly have a right to feel dissatisfied, that is just one more reason to get involved. Contributing to the ongoing dialogue is important, otherwise you have little justification to complain that your voice was not heard. All of our voices matter, and together, as a collective, they will represent which candidates will become the nominees, and not much later, who will be the next president of the United States.

Voting is a duty. If you don’t care about how the country is managed, then who will? And to vote responsibly means to become educated about the issues and our choices. The more people who are educated about the issues, the better choices we will all make. After all the idea of public education in this country came about because it was understood that an uneducated public will make for a poor democracy.

Voting is also fun if you make an effort to get involved. Some people like watching the Superbowl. Others like watching the Oscars (that’s me, and probably a lot of my fellow peers at the Park School of Communications at Ithaca College). But watching the elections is also fun when you participate. Growing up in my house, politics was like a contact sport. Every party was represented and each individual was able to speak their mind about their political views without being judged.

And finally, voting matters. If you care about global warming, giant deficits, healthcare, education, the economy and all the big issues, then you had better vote or you may get more of what we already have and don’t like very much.

It’s a hard thing to fathom, but it’s necessary to seriously consider. Even if you don’t feel like your vote is being represented, it is still important to vote because in the end, it will still have an impact on our future. So I urge you to register while you still can and to get out to the primaries and vote, because at the end of the day your vote counts no matter what. And regardless of the outcome, wouldn’t you like to feel like you were on the right side of history because at least you were proactive in deciding to contribute in some way?