Just when we thought the most groundbreaking and controversial election was in 2008 as we coined our first black president—hello November, 2016.

A real estate business mogul vs. a woman—yup, I really said it—a woman. A former First Lady and Secretary of State. But unfortunately, it’s a woman nobody likes and a man with no experience. So here we are again with the controversy.

Many have argued it was the election of 1932 that was the most important and controversial. Then 1964. Then 2008. Yet every four years people make this claim. The election is always a historical event that demands a nationwide outcry for attention, devotion and debate, and not to mention—propaganda. Time and time again we hear this is the “most important election of our lifetimes” because well, it usually is—every four years.

But somehow this year is different. This year we add “her” to the ballot and people are tenser than ever. The many crises America currently faces contributes to our present-day tension: the national debt, inequality, illegal immigration, war, healthcare reform, social security, climate change—to name a few. But it’s nothing we haven’t seen before during previous election seasons.

And like clockwork, year after year candidates make policy promises they cannot fulfill and when elected, execute policies they may have not originally promised. But this year this list of issues illustrates what the ever-changing future has to hold—and what’s at stake. How will we handle the war on terrorism? What about prioritization of business and wealth against necessities like healthcare and environmentalism? None of these solutions reside in either candidate. It’s not up to one side of the republican vs. democratic divide—it’s up to we the people as one collective nation. It’s up to us to be the change we want to see in the world.

Even though we the people tend to argue that in the midst of the biased, partisan, corrupt system—our vote doesn’t matter—at this point, it’s not the vote we should be concerned with. It’s the history that lies in the making of the vote. That is the bigger picture we must address. Not the thought that “our vote doesn’t count,” but the thought that we have finally reached a point in history where everyone not only has the chance to choose our democracy—but a chance to be a part of it as well. Regardless of the Electoral College and the many flaws in the voting system, the fact that our ancestors didn’t have the same rights as we do now for something as simple as voting shows how far our country has come. The fact that people still use that as their argument for not voting shows how much further we need to go.

According to an article published by Vox, “we can expect 80-100 million voting-age Americans to sit out Tuesday’s presidential election.” A chart conducted by The Pew Research Center shows that America’s voter turnout is one of the lowest amongst developed countries across the world. Along with registration inconveniences, particular political institutions depressing turnouts and an overall lack of care, a huge part of this outcome seems to be because people believe their vote won’t even count.

Even if my opinion about an issue doesn’t directly affect its outcome—I still reserve the right to have an opinion. You still reserve the right to vote. So exercise it.

Even though we think this election is a joke and possibly a disgrace to how far we’ve come as a country, it is important to take into consideration the long fight it took us to get here. We may not like the woman who may be our next president but we must remember the importance of a woman’s role in politics. The New York Times Archives posted a photo on Instagram that speaks volume to what voting means for women in our present day.

The caption read, “More than 1,000,000 women in New York State are asking for the vote,” @nytimes reported on October 28, 1917, “and more than 20,000 of them — according to police and suffragist estimates — marched in Fifth Avenue yesterday afternoon to present their demand.”

So on behalf of women and minorities who fought hard for the right to vote, even though we’ve come a long way, there’s still a long way to go and so much more to accomplish. If you are unhappy with the way things are—don’t complain—go out and make a change.