This upcoming election will be the first election that my class, the graduating class of 2016, will be able to participate in. This will be the first year where we will be able to express our political opinion in this country. It will be the first year where we can throw our voice into the echo chamber that is democracy.

To some, this is not a big deal. To some, this is the opposite of a big deal. Why would I want to vote for candidates that I don’t like? And why would my vote matter if the person I want to win is an Independent? There is no easy answer to either of those questions, and they are great moral debates. But it is still your civic duty to vote.

Even if your vote is essentially nullified, you are still expressing your belief in who should represent you. Your voice is still being heard and let known. Millions of people around the world are ruled by people who got into power without elections at all. We have to vote to help the fight of democracy and of human fairness.

Not only that, but this election is fascinating. My two favorite candidates to follow are Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, as they are essentially polar opposites. Trump is a billionaire, self-funded Republican while Sanders is a socialist, publicly-funded Democrat. These candidates are both at the far side of their perspective ideology, but they are both front runners. This election is important as it may start an era in America where your political skills do not matter as much as your beliefs and passion.