1) Your great-great-grandmother couldn’t.

It’s been less than 100 years since women won the right to vote in the United States, and it only happened because suffragists organized, demonstrated and wouldn’t give up. It was less than 75 years ago that African-Americans were being locked in jail, assaulted and even killed for exercising their right to vote. All over the world, people have fought tooth and nail for the right to vote, because the vote means power. You have that power.

2) You live here.

If you go to school in the state of Wisconsin you can vote here in both state and national elections. Because the University of Wisconsin is a state school, your vote in state elections has a direct effect on future policies and conditions at the university, including tuition, construction, courses and student services. You can register in advance or on election day when you cast your vote. If you’ve ever complained about something at the UW you would like to see changed, this is one way to speak up for that change.

3) This election matters.

Voter turnout is always lower during midterm elections when no presidential candidates are on the ballot, but in many ways these are the most crucial elections of all. From the gubernatorial race between Tom Barrett and Scott Walker to the closely-watched Senate contest between Russ Feingold and Ron Johnson, there are crucial decisions to be made between candidates with radically different ideas about government, education, social issues and personal rights. The 2000 Bush-Gore election showed that sometimes less than 100 votes can decide the leaders of our country. Make your vote count.

4) Wisconsin pride.

In 2000, Wisconsin had the highest youth voter turnout in the country; in 2004, it was second-highest. But in the 2008 elections, despite a national surge in voting among young people, Wisconsin youth voting dropped down to seventh place, behind Minnesota, Iowa and New Hampshire, among others. In 1971, the 26th Amendment to the Constitution lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 largely in response to pressure from students around the country who wanted more voice in their government. Since then, Wisconsin has consistently been among the highest ranked in youth vote turnout. Let’s see if we can take back the top spot in 2010.

5) This is one midterm you can ace.

There are a lot of hard questions facing the state and the country right now, but this is one test where you can’t give the wrong answer. Yet it may be the most important one you face all year. And there’s only one way to fail: By not showing up. Vote Democrat or Republican, Green or Independent, tea party or cocktail party, early or on Nov. 2, but please vote. Your vote makes a difference.

Ellen Samuels ([email protected]) is an assistant professor in the department of gender & women’s studies and the department of English.