The year is 2016, and finally it's an election year. For the first time this year, myself and others my age will be voting in a presidential election. It's exciting, we finally have the opportunity to exercise our right to vote, and let our voices be heard, so imagine my surprise when I hear others my age saying they have no interest in voting. Seeing all the tweets from the students who sat beside me in high school expressing how they will not be voting because they don't like the candidates, or because they were too lazy to get registered to vote, is shocking. We've been sitting here watching elections for the past 18 years of our lives and it is finally our turn, this is not something you should take lightly. People fought hard for us to have the right to vote, don't let that go unappreciated.

A lot of people will be refraining from voting this year because they don't like their options. Not just teenagers either, adults of all ages have said they won't be going to the polls this year. I heard one guy describe it as a way for him to protest the candidates and prevent them from being elected: this is a flawed plan. The popular vote is important! If you are of legal voting age, and can vote, you should. We've all learned about how the U.S. government works and how the voting process works, we should all know the importance of voting, while the final say does lay with the electoral college, remember, the popular vote is important, too!

It doesn't take a political science degree to understand the importance of your vote. So, please, if you are 18 years old and unregistered to vote, go get registered! There will always be Taylor Swift drama for us to obsess over, but we won't have a chance to elect the president again for another four years. This is a big opportunity. So let your voices be heard on Election Tuesday, and don't be a square, also remember, if you're going to be politically active, use protection: don't let your parents tell you who to vote for. Don't let twitter tell you who to vote for. Don't let anyone tell you who you should vote, do your research, decide who you think best represents the America you want to live in, and vote for them.

So good luck, and happy voting. Remember, the right to vote is not something Americans came by easily. So get out there, and vote.