“But I don’t really know who to vote for.”

“They’re all terrible, so what’s the point?”

“It doesn’t matter if I vote.”

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These and more are common excuses for why people don’t vote. This year we have midterm elections in the U.S., which are notorious for low voter turnout. I can’t say it enough: Get out and vote.

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The U.S. government is set up as a three part power balance between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. These branches all keep each other in check, meaning if, for example, the president were to decide something, Congress (the legislative branch) could overrule. This happened in the 1972 when Nixon vetoed the Clean Water Act and Congress had enough votes to override it. This is just one reason why voting, particularly during the midterms, is so important.

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If you, the voter, doesn’t know who to vote for, do some research. Information about candidates is easily available online. Most candidates have their own websites and social media. This is a biased source, but it still can give a general idea about the candidates platform and their background. After that, search in Google under the “news” tab to see what various news outlets are writing about the candidate. For a lot of these races, the local newspaper is where the information will be. If a candidate is an incumbent (running for reelection) their voting records are available online. It does not take very long to get a basic idea of what a candidate stands for or against.

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Not all candidates are terrible, and that mindset is bad for our imperfect, but generally functional, democratic system. During the 2016 election, people hated both Trump and Hillary so they didn’t vote. This is not the answer. No candidate is ever going to share all of the same values as their constituents. It is important to pick key issues that matter most to you. For example, the issue that matters most to me is the environment, which is the main reason I voted for Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in the primaries. Even if both candidates seem like bad candidates, it’s important to go and vote anyways. There are always multiple positions and allot measures being voted on. So, in 2016 it wasn’t just the presidential race up for debate. There were also other key offices and issues being decided by voters. The same is true for the midterm election in November.

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Let’s get this straight. It DOES matter if you vote. If it didn’t matter, there wouldn’t be all this talk about about voter fraud (which, by the way, is almost non-existent and isn’t really an issue). Voting is a way to speak your mind and let those in charge and the general population what matters, what isn’t okay, and the direction this country should be headed.

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For young people, this is especially important because we will be here after the people in office have retired or died. Mike Kelly, my U.S. representative (since the districts were redrawn in Pennsylvania), is 70 years old. According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kelly has about 14 years left to deal with the consequences of any poor decisions made by those in power. I am a 21-year-old female who is relatively healthy, and according to the U.S. Social Security Administration I have about 60 years left. The decisions being made now are much more relevant to my life than someone who is Kelly’s age, yet that is the age group that dominates the political landscape in both voting and people elected. According to the Brookings Institute, as of 2015 Baby Boomers made up about 63 percent of Congress. The Silent Generation (older than Baby Boomers) made up about 11 percent. In comparison, Boomers only made up about 32 percent of the total U.S. population between 2000 and 2010, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. Age is not a disqualifier for office, but the ages of the population need to be better reflected in Congress and other governing bodies.

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Pennsylvania requires that voters register 30 days before voting day. Most states are 30 days or less. It is also important to send an absentee ballot if you want to vote in your home district or state. The deadline for absentee ballots varies depending on the state, but Pennsylvania voters must have their ballots in a week before voting day.

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Please, let your voice be heard and plan ahead for this voting day. We need YOU to maintain democracy.