On Nov. 4, if you are an 18-year-old citizen, you will be able to vote. But imagine Election Day 100 years ago. If you are a woman, you do not have the right to vote, and if you are black, there exists so many political barriers that it is impossible to vote. However, in the next few days, we will either have the first black president or the first female vice president. This Election Day truly symbolizes how far we have come as a country.

But, we can still go even further in creating the changes our country needs. In the next eight years, our country can work to reduce poverty, lower greenhouse gases and build a stable economy. And the easiest way to impact our country’s direction is through voting.

However, in the past few decades, the youth vote is always the lowest in the nation. The first election when 18-year-olds were granted the right to vote was in 1972. Despite being granted a right other populations fought and suffered to receive, the turnout among those 18 to 24 has declined by 16 percentage points between 1972 and 2000. The voting history of young adults is not all grime, however. In 2004, we showed up to the polls in record numbers, increasing the youth vote by 11 percent. However, even with this great increase, still only 47 percent of the 18 to 24-year-olds voted, compared to 66 percent of those 25 and older.

So why don’t young people vote? Many people point to the “cycle of mutual neglect” of both politicians and young people. Politicians do not target young people’s concerns when campaigning because young people do not have a record of voting, and young people do not vote because they think politicians do not care about their concerns.

Some say politicians should stop negatively charged campaigns and instead use their advertisements to explain to young people how their policies will help the average college student. If politicians would be willing to do this, it would probably have a very positive outcome on the youth turnout.

But, when do those in power ever seek to make drastic changes in policy without public support? To make real change, there must first be initiative on those who need the change to happen. To gain the right to vote, women from 1848 to 1920 held conventions and gave public speeches. Some were even jailed for their protests. Before blacks could vote without fear, 200,000 people had to march in Washington, D.C., in 1963 to demand equal rights.

And like our predecessors, if the young people of this nation want change to happen and want politicians to take them seriously, then they will have to work to make that change happen. But, as I said beforehand, the easiest way for us to have an impact is through voting.

And those of you unsure about the process or about the issues, there are several places where you can gain information, including candidate websites and the student chapters of the College Democrats and College Republicans. But, if you want a nonpartisan approach, there is www.dividedwefail.org and student groups on campus, such as Wisconsin Student Pubic Interest Research Group, who seeks to educate students on the issues without supporting a specific political party. Students can educate themselves before they vote by obtaining information on the issues at WISPIRG’s Get Out the Vote tabling event that will be held Monday at Library Mall from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This election is already going to be historic, but we can make it historic in another way: We can show politicians we do care and make this the largest youth voter turnout ever in U.S. history.

Jessica Klinge

Senior, geography, history and history of science