The 2016 presidential election will be the first election that I am old enough to vote in. While I am very excited to be able to exercise this right, many people my age who I’ve spoken to don’t seem to feel the same way.

Currently, fewer than half of all Americans who are eligible to vote actually cast their ballot. This is due to a myriad of reasons ranging from voter apathy, to even just sheer laziness.

Voting matters, and your vote in particular matters. It may seem weak, or insignificant, but that is far from true. The ability to vote is a privilege and a gift, and it’s one that many people have fought for, many dream of, and some even die for, to ensure democracy. Not only is it a privilege, it is a responsibility you take upon yourself as a citizen of the United States. The American public is presented with the care and keeping of their own nation, and have the accountability of electing the best possible successor to be president.

The argument can be made that, due to the electoral college, individual votes don't matter and the popular vote has no major effect. If everyone kept that mindset or acted on that belief, then no one would vote. Contrary to popular belief, every vote counts. In some close elections, decisions have been made based on one or two ballots. Your voice matters in our system.

More importantly, everyone should vote. Voting for a certain candidate and their political platform is a way to share your opinion on how our country should be run. It is a way to provide your opinion on what the federal government is doing, what it could do better, and what to change. It is a way to influence policy and effect the decisions that are made for our country.

Voting is a right we have as free Americans and a dispensation everywhere. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Our lives begin to end the day that we become silent about the things that matter."