It seems like every election cycle, voting is regarded as something of a chore. The candidates are anything but ideal, the technology used ranges from somewhat to extremely outdated, and the whole thing seems to have little in the way of gratification. You get a sticker. You get to sweat over the future of your country/state/county/city and then it's over and nothing really seems to change.

However, voting is extremely necessary, not just in the presidential election (which seems to receive far more press than it really should) but in every election. Even if you get the feeling that nothing will ever change and it's pointless to vote, change can still come about by citizens who are invested in their government and passionate about making their community move in a direction they want. Among developed countries, the US ranks lower in percentage of voter turnout. As a primary example of a constitutional democracy (ok, technically a republic but that's not the term that most people quote), the US should also lead by example in the amount of people that come out to vote. Like it or not, our country has served as an example and should continue to have citizens who care about their country.

This election in itself has served as a good example about the power of passionate people. We almost had a democratic socialist running under the Democratic party as the Democratic nominee. The percentage of people favoring an independent candidate is higher than it's ever been, with one candidate on the verge of participating in one of the major presidential debates.

The most important reason to register and VOTE as a citizen though has to do with local elections. The president does affect issues on a national scale, but your Congressional representatives, your state legislature, and your governor will directly affect your community and YOU. Even though I am not a Missouri state resident, the recent budget cuts made by current Governor Nixon are cause for concern. As public university students, we at Missouri S&T should be diligent in researching the issues that directly affect us, and using our vote as wisely as possible. There are great faults in our system and sometimes too much research needs to be done for complicated issues. But if you really do want to make your community a better place, you have to have involved, by voting and taking charge of your citizenship.

(If you would like to learn more about taking charge of yourself as a US citizen and find out what really makes America great [again or not], I would strongly suggest reading Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America.)