With the presidential election happening in a little over a month, more and more people nowadays are talking about voting. I know many people (including myself) who are very eager to go to the polls and cast their vote for their candidates of choice. Personally, it is my first presidential election that I am able to vote in, so it is extra exciting.

However, I have also heard many people say that they are not planning on voting in the election. I have heard this come from people of various ages, but mostly from people around my age. In fact, millennials unfortunately have the lowest voter turnout averages of any age group. Less than half of all people in this age group actually go out and cast their vote, which is upsetting. People ages 18-21 only got the right to legally vote in 1971, yet so many people still do not use this ability.

Voting in elections is so important. Voting allows you to support (or oppose) those issues that matter most to you, with the hopes of progress. If only a small portion of the population votes, your views and political preferences may not be seen or heard. As Americans, we should be actively working to constantly progress our country. Voting for (and then, electing) the best possible candidates is a relatively easy way to do this. When given this option to empower and improve your country by voting, why would you turn it down?

We are lucky enough to live in a democracy, so we have to elect people who care about issues that matter to us and can adequately represent us. Many people like to complain about government, or the people in power who work within it. However, if you have the ability to vote but choose not to, and then go on to criticize officials you let your peers elect, you’re hypocritical. If you don’t like something, the best and most responsible thing to do is go out and try to change it. If you’re in college, the next four years are super important and will bring a lot of changes and new experiences. Try to elect a president (and those running for other roles within your individual state) who will care about the issues that will affect your life, and help the next four years be incredible.

If you are not yet registered to vote in November, check out a website like www.rockthevote.com/get-informed/elections/voter-registration-deadlines.html to view the registration deadline for your state, and to help with registering before it’s too late!