The California primaries may not be until June 7, but now is the time to reflect about why not enough college students actively participate in elections and why it is important for them to do so.

Ask yourself one question; Why is it that when it comes to determining who would be a decent fit for the role of the president of The United States, most of the people who vote are age 45 or older? By not voting, students lose out on making a difference and the voice of our future is too quiet to impact politics.

Some students may feel their votes don’t matter. Others may lack knowledge about the election itself or the candidates and their policies. Some may even feel as if candidates don’t take the time to reach out to students and talk about fixing issues they deal with– tuition rates or finding a job after graduation.

Don’t let those be your excuses. Your votes matter and can make a difference between the right and wrong person being elected into office. Become informed about the candidates who are running this year simply by going online or turning on the news to see who is running and what some of their policies are. If any of the candidates are advocating for issues you feel strongly about, get registered and go support them in the upcoming election.

Primary elections are where it all begins. It is crucial for students to vote in the primaries because this is when you’re choosing who is the best representative for your political party.

Your involvement shouldn’t just stop at presidential elections. The election for President of the U.S. is this year and will happen every four years. But what most people don’t know is there in another two years there will be midterm elections where you can go out and vote for congressional representatives. These elections are as important, if not more important than presidential elections because you are essentially electing candidates who you believe would support your presidential choice and create laws that coincide with the changes you want to see.

Get involved in local and state elections as well. These two levels of Government have a large impact on the everyday lives of Americans. Keep up with propositions you are in favor of or problems the state or your local community are facing that you want to see solved and just like the presidential elections, go out and support the candidate who wants the same as you. Absentee ballots exist for students who want to participate but are unable to physically go in and vote for elections happening in their home state or town. If there’s a way for you to get involved, then do so.

Your future depends on your civic participation now and in the future.