Tuesday, Nov. 2 may go down as another “day that will live in infamy.” Democrats and Republicans alike will be rushing the polls in an attempt to have their ideal leader elected as the next president of the United States of America.

Unfortunately, politics has become known as a process of voting for the lesser of two evils. This election has been no exception. Undecided voters, or those who were not staunchly Democratic or Republican in this election, have ridiculed the president’s performance in the debates. They have similarly bashed Senator Kerry for his now-infamous flip-flopping and inconsistent platform stances.

Regardless, even the political critics will be flooding the polls on Tuesday. This year, more than any other year, the two presidential contenders have been running neck-and-neck through the heated debates, wavering polls and undecided states. This year, in the midst of a war in Iraq and a nation divided on its stance, tensions between political parties have been stronger than ever. This year, your vote will make more of a difference than ever before.

That is not to say that this year’s votes will be weighed differently. Rather, college-age students, presumably voting for the first time in their lives, are more involved in this election than ever before.

Election Day is not a day to take lightly. The right to vote has cost the country many lives and much effort. It is our right as American citizens to exercise the liberty that we have been granted.

Even if politics has never been an interesting facet of your life, it isn’t too late to get informed about the candidates and their platforms, and to get out there and vote. Even if you are sick of commercials for one nominee that tear into the platform and beliefs of his opponent, “bucking the system” by not voting at all is pointless and ineffective.

Politics may seem trivialized due to the overexposure and redundancy of candidate criticism, but voting in this election will not only impact the headlines and news reports next week, but the next four years of your life, and into the future. Isn’t your personal future worth the vote?