In case you haven't heard, this election is awful. It has been full of fear and scandal, driving people apart. A lot of people, myself included, have been in turmoil over who to vote for. Many are choosing to simply not vote at all.

I am not writing to tell you who to vote for. I have already cast my ballot. What I am requesting however, is that you vote. We may strongly disagree on who is the best candidate and why. We may disagree on the direction that the United States of America should take. But no matter what you believe, you have the right to vote. This is a right that has been hard fought for, and should not be cast aside.

People have been imprisoned, beat, shamed, and killed as they fought for the right to have a vote in elections. American history- and history as whole- shows how important this is. Over and over people have demanded the right to be heard. We already have this right. It's not perfect, but we continue to fight to make it better.

In the grand scheme of things, my vote for president has, essentially, no affect. It is one tiny voice in a sea of millions. But that's kinda the beauty of a democracy like ours. We are all drops in an ocean. Alone, we can maybe displace some dust. But together, we can move mountains. We change the shorelines and continents; we shape the world and can create as we destroy. We move our country and the world as people. But if we give that up, if we choose to keep our drop to ourselves, the ocean loses power.

In a democracy, the consequences of this are far worse: it loses legitimacy.

Whoever is President, whether I like them or not, I want them to be the choice of the majority. That means that all of you have to have your voice heard. I don't care what I or others think of your political opinions. hat matters is that in a democracy your political opinion is necessary.

So, please, get out and vote. Look up the candidates and 3rd party candidates. Research different issues. Do absolutely no research and still go out and vote (although doing some digging before posting on Facebook would be nice)because no matter what your voice matters.

Be a drop in the ocean because that's what makes the ocean powerful. We the people drive the government, so take part. That's why I voted, and that's why you should vote too.