As Election Day draws closer, and the booths are set up. It’s safe to say that this election has people as riled up as the Super Bowl, or even the Summer Olympics. While the two candidates slam each other on social media, students express their frustration about not having a say or impact on the future and the future of their country.

Here at MHS, 4.9 percent of our students are 18 years old, giving them the perfect opportunity to have a say in the political process. Much like other people their age, many of our students feel that they have no say in the world around them, and although the political process isn’t the clean democracy that the founding fathers idealized, every vote counts for something.

Take a look on any Twitter profile, Buzzfeed article or CNN headline and you will find a plethora of incoming news about not only the political events taking place in America, but also the social injustices in relation to the thriving racism, sexism, and exploitation of the impoverished in our country.

Sit down at your lunch table, and you might hear your friends discuss the pros and cons of each candidate. “ Will he build a wall?” or “Did she really delete 33,000 emails?” are just a sample of the concern and frustration that young people feel about the choices they are being given, but regardless of whether you and your friends talk politics or not, sit down at any lunch table and you will surely find a student expressing their frustration about their have a lack of control over not only their own lives, but the world around them.

With less than a month left until Election Day, and a multitude of social justice campaigns being run at the same time, there is no better time for the new adults of America to use their voice.

The opinions of high school students may be overlooked when it comes to political debates with the adults in their lives, or deemed too liberal or radical for the taste of their grandparents, but the voting booth is a place where your age is not something that can be used against you as a pitiful excuse for a counterargument.

Vote on Election Day this year to show Washington that this youth cares about their future, the future of their country, and is willing to dedicate time into making sure that their voice is heard.

Our own grandparents are products of a different time, society, and culture. Making family dinner a time for catching up and political debates. “I understand that interracial marriage happens, but it’s just not for me,” my own grandmother said.

And “Women already have all the rights they need, so I don’t understand these crazy women marching around like they don’t,” from a great aunt are just a taste of the sharp contrast between generations.

Although these debates are great for getting people thinking, they often end the same way, with the elder saying that we, the young people don’t know what we are talking about simply because we’re young. This invalid excuse shouldn’t keep those who can from voting and should inspire those who can’t yet vote to educate themselves on the political process, politicians, and figure out where they stand on the political spectrum.

Your Twitter rants, lunchroom debates, and strategically worded opinions mean nothing if you have the opportunity to vote and choose not to. Regardless of whether you’re “with her” or “making America great again,” there will be four names on the ballot come November, and by showing up to vote, you can help decide who’s hand will rest on the bible on inauguration day.