It seems like every day, when you log on to the Internet or watch the news, another person is announcing their candidacy for President of the United States.

Currently, there are 95 people who have officially announced or are in the process of announcing, their candidacy. They represent the Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian and Green parties. With 95 possible presidential candidates, I wondered just how hard it is to declare yourself a candidate. After an exhaustive Internet search I could not find a clear step-by-step guide for how to run for President, but I did find the bare minimum requirements.

The Constitution of the United States says that the qualifications for running for the office of President of the United States are as follows: you must be a natural born citizen of the United States, have lived on U.S. soil for 14 years and you must be at least 35 years of age.

That sounds easy enough, but that is not all that is required. You can be qualified to run, but unless you are on the ballot, you will not be elected. Each state requires a candidate to get a certain amount of signatures to be allowed on the ballot. The total signature requirement to be included on the ballot in all 50 states is 700,000. That sounds like a huge number, but considering there are nearly 20 million people living in the state of Florida alone, it really isn’t that much. To run for president it is also a good idea to start by winning local office, and work your way up. It is also useful have an Ivy League education, military service, good television skills and the ability to convince voters to fund their campaign.

I am pretty sure that all 95 potential candidates do not meet all these other qualifications to run for president. Of these 95, who are the real possibilities? Parties like like the Green Party and the Libertarians try to present candidates, but the U.S. is still pretty much a two-party system, at least as far as the office of President goes. Therefore, the leading candidates are chosen from the two major parties -- the Democrats and the Republicans. The front-runners will change, daily, by the time the election rolls around, but as of today the favorites are below.

Democratic Party

The early favorite is Hillary Clinton. The others who have a shot are Jim Webb, Andrew Cuomo, Rahm Emanuel and Joe Biden. Don't forget about the Democrat/Independent Bernie Sanders.

Republican Party

There are no clear favorites as of yet, but some of the early favorites are Paul Ryan, Chris Christy, Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Condoleezza Rice,

The next step for the potential presidential candidate is the primary elections. The primary elections happen over the first six months of 2016 in all 50 states. The primary elections are held in each state and help determine which candidate gets that stated Electoral College votes

Primary season culminates in the candidate officially receiving the nomination from their respective party at a national convention. The Republican convention will be in Cleveland from July 18 to July 21, 2016 and the Democratic convention will be in Philadelphia from July 25 to July 28, 2016 with the final election for President being held on November 8, 2016.

That gives us roughly 16 months to decide who we want to lead our country next. Change is going to happen with this new president, and now is the time to really look at what the candidates believe so we can vote for the type of change we want to see. Here is just a snippet of what the candidates feel about some of the biggest issues facing America today.

Gay marriage.

Hillary Clinton (D): “Gay rights are human rights and human rights are gay rights.”

Jeb Bush (R): “It is now crucial that as a country we protect religious freedom and the right of conscious and also not discriminate.”

War in the Middle East.

Joe Biden (D): “The Middle East is hopeful. There is hope there.”

Condoleezza Rice(R): “The people in the Middle East share the desire for freedom. We have an opportunity -- and an obligation -- to help them turn this desire into a reality.”

Affordable Health Care Act.

Andrew Cuomo(D): “The Affordable Care Act will provide access to health care to millions of Americans nationwide and more than one million New Yorkers, and I am pleased the Supreme Court upheld this law. We will continue to move forward with implementing the health exchange that will lower coverage costs for New York's businesses and help ensure that uninsured New Yorkers have access to health care.”

Marco Rubio(R): “Despite the Court’s decision, Obamacare is still a bad law that is having a negative impact on our country and on millions of Americans. I remain committed to repealing this bad law and replacing it with my consumer-centered plan that puts patients and families back in control of their health care decisions.”

Voting is a privilege that many people in the world do not have, and it is a chance for the common person’s voice to be heard. It is time to consider what are the issues that are most important to you and then figure out who best agrees with your views. The only requirements to vote are be 18 years old, a citizen, and not a felon. Check with your local supervisor of elections for deadlines and any identification you might need to register.

Once you have registered to vote, take the next step. Find the local office of the candidate you support and volunteer. Wave signs, stuff envelopes and get involved. The 2016 presidential election will bring a lot of change to this country be sure your voice is a part of that change.