Last week, millions of Americans waited with baited breath as numbers were drawn for a 1.5 billion dollar Powerball prize. Because this was a record-breaking Powerball, people waited in line for a long time, spending a ton of money for a chance to win the grand prize. I can't say I blame them. I bought a couple of tickets myself. However, this Powerball isn't our only chance to change our future for the better. The second chance is the upcoming 2016 election.

The 2016 election is an open-seat election, which means that members of each party can pick a candidate to run for president, and then pick a candidate to actually be president. We have a chance to choose who will be our leader for the next four (or eight) years. Yet voter turnout is incredibly low. 2014 had the lowest voter turnout since the 1940s, despite being a government election in multiple states. The biggest reason for this, according to a Washington post poll, is apathy. People just don't care about voting and think that their vote doesn't matter. Voting is an important aspect of a democracy, and your vote does have a say in who will run our country. Here's why you should vote in the 2016 election

1. Those who don't vote could change an election

In the last presidential election, 43.5 percent of Americans chose not to vote. If just half of those people decided to vote, it could have made the difference between Romney winning or Obama winning. There have been multiple elections that were incredibly close (like the 2000 election), where a small group of people could've made the difference.

2. Who wins will impact your life

Even if you don't vote, somebody has to win. And these people have to enforce laws and run our country. Every two years, there's a Senate and House election, and these people make laws and have a large influence on things like taxes, regulations, and other things that impact nearly every part of your life. In fact, your life is more likely to change based off who you vote for than what Powerball numbers you pick.

3. You can't complain if you don't vote.

Well, technically you can. But it sounds ridiculous to hear someone complaining about politics or "the establishment" if you don't do anything to change it, and one of the biggest things you can do is vote. Think of it this way: many people get angry at "keyboard warriors" who complain about injustice but don't do anything about it. Voting is the biggest way that you can change the political landscape and actually make a change. In 2014, the congressional approval rating was only 15 percent, yet most congressmen were re-elected due to low voter turnout. This year, let's back up our words and vote out politicians we disagree with.

Voting is a right that citizens have fought for again and again, yet most of us take it for granted. Next time you tell someone that voting is "too complicated" or "too long of a process," remember how long you waited for a Powerball ticket or a ride at Disney World. Then go out and vote.