1. "It's just so hard." 

Actually, it's not. This year, it's easier than ever. In North Carolina, we have access to early voting, absentee ballots, and of course Election Day voting. You can even register during early voting! Plus, for the first time ever, Uber and Lyft are driving people to the polls for free to combat the largest barrier to voting - a lack of transportation to the polls.

2. "I don't have time." 

We're all busy! It's a Tuesday! This made sense 200 years ago, less so now. But this kind of goes back to that first excuse... There's early voting, there's absentee ballots, and the polls are open for 12 hours on Election Day. If you make it a priority, you can make it to the polls (or at least mail in your vote).

3. "I'm uninformed." 

Props to you for this one, because you're being self aware. Uninformed voters can be dangerous too. All the same... If you know how to use Google, you can read up on the candidates. With an absentee ballot, you can sit at your computer and just go line by line researching candidates if you want.

Another shortcut (which should be taken with a grain of salt) is to look at your party's voter guide. I say this should be taken with a grain of salt because not all of the candidates who represent your party's platform will represent your personal beliefs. In a pinch, though, the voter guide makes it super easy to cast a vote.

4. "I'm not registered." 

Clearly, you are not. Honestly, have you been living under a rock?

It's pretty easy to get that way though. In North Carolina at least, you can still register during early voting. It doesn't take very long, especially considering what's at stake. Go register, go vote!

5. "I don't like politics." 

Some people don't like politics, and that's okay.

The question is, do you like having a teeny tiny say in what happens over the next two years (or potentially longer)? If the answer is no, that's fine, but basically you have no right to complain about anything the government says or does until 2020, at which point you will presumably vote.

It's a big commitment to say now you won't complain, so I'd say you should probably... go vote.

6. "Midterm elections don't matter anyway." 

I'm going to make exactly the opposite argument: midterm elections matter more than presidential elections. The closer the people you're voting for are to your day-to-day life, the more that the election matters. Now, I know that Donald Trump gets all of the flashy attention as the figurehead of our country, but I would say that the people representing us in Congress actually have a lot more power in our daily lives. Go vote for them, and maybe they'll get something done in DC (one can hope, right?).

7. "My vote doesn't matter anyway." 

It's true, there are a whole heck of a lot of people voting (at least we hope, right?) and the chances of your individual vote making the difference between two candidates is slim to none. That being said, the 2016 election was decided by a razor thin margin, and it's pretty likely that 2018 will be no different. Plus, with collective action from thousands of voters who want the same things as you your vote can (and will!) make a difference.

Even if you can't be swayed by the political science-y arguments, voting is the only way we have of directly impacting our government. If you want a change, you have to vote for it. Such is democracy (thanks, Hamilton and Madison), and such is our country. Go vote for the changes you want to see.

8. "Nobody I know is voting." 

The chances of this actually being true are absolutely 0. Chances are, if you're reading this, you at least know me (hi, Mom!) and I've actually already voted so that's one. Besides, why on earth do you want to be as apathetic as everybody else you know? Invite your friends, your coworkers, that one aunt you call on her birthday, and your next-door neighbors, and take a ~road trip~ to the polls!

9. "Everybody else will vote." 

This is exactly as ridiculous as the last excuse. Everybody else probably doesn't want exactly what you want. Besides, do you really want to put the fate of the nation in the hands of the people who dipped out on your group project at the last minute second semester freshman year? I didn't think so.

10. "I don't want anything to change." 

Good for you! If that's your situation, it's probably even more important that you vote, because a lot of people would like to see some changes. If you don't want to, you need to go vote the candidates you love back into office.