September 20 through 22 campus offered voter registration for USI students.

Squawk the Vote, the organization that ran the registration booth, had a goal to register 1000 students to vote.

The ultimate goal, however, would be for every student to register and every student to vote.

Let us pretend that in some alternate universe, that goal would actually be feasible.

Would it be beneficial to have every single person in the United States vote?

Please do not misunderstand me. I think we have a duty as American citizens to vote. We have a duty to be informed citizens who play active roles in our local and national government.

But that is the catch.

Informed.

Let me ask you this: what is better; to have every single student on campus vote when half of them couldn’t give you a sentence about the candidates and their policies, or to have less than fifty percent of USI vote, but every one of them are properly informed.

Bring out the stress ball.

I will not hide the fact that the thought of a citizen playing eenie meenie minie mo with the ballet box just so they could say they voted does not exactly bode well with me.

I am not going to lie, that actually makes me hyperventilate a little bit.

Nothing would make me happier than to watch students flock to the voting booths.

Nothing would make me more disappointed than to watch uninformed students flock to the voting booths.

I am right there with those that think people my age do not play our part in politics.

I could not agree more that students should vote.

However, the answer is not shoving an 18 year old into a voting booth when they have no desire or knowledge about the election.

I am not trying to condemn students or make students feel as if they are not allowed to vote.

I am simply trying to motivate those who want to vote to do research on candidates.

Do not let your parents tell you who to vote for.

Do not let stand-up comedians tell you who not to vote for.

Do not simply ask your friend who they are voting for.

Dear Lord, please do not do that.

We have this amazing access to information, and I encourage you to use the information being gladly given to you.

Educate yourself on the candidates.

Think critically as you read.

Read multiple news outlets.

I understand this may seem overwhelming, but if you are going to walk into a voting booth, you are in part deciding who runs our country.

That should not be taken lightly.

Yes, you should vote.

Please vote responsibly.