To become civically engaged, a college student must be two things: politically informed and active.  

Combating political ignorance and laziness on a university campus is difficult. After all, college is a time when students have a million different responsibilities. Yet it’s hard for us to remember that we also have a responsibility to the state in which we live. And the country in which we live for that matter. 

 It is often difficult for us to poke our heads over the walls of our isolated university and take at look what’s going outside our well-manicured lawns.Getting young adults to the polls is not an easy task, particularly when the election in question is not presidential. 

However, the midterm elections are arguably more important than the presidential election for two reasons. 

First: there is no electoral college in place, meaning that the institution of democracy is fully exercised within the senatorial and gubernatorial races. 

Second: we are electing more localized representatives whose  decisions are immediately felt within our state communities.  

Midterm elections are pivotal because they can decide which party controls the Senate and House—thereby drastically impacting the power dynamic in Washington and making it easier (or harder) for President Obama to implement the goals outlined by his administration. I’s easy to overlook all of this. It’s easy to not stand in a long line to cast what we may consider a meaningless ballot. 

But it’s also easy to do a quick Google search to figure out what’s going on in our political atmosphere come election season. It’s easy to follow The Hill, Politico, CNN or BBC on Twitter to gather some political information in 140 characters or less.  If you decline to vote as a politically rebellious statement, go ‘head with your bad self! That is certaintly your perogative. However, don’t allow laziness or lack of politically efficacy to deter you from heading to the polls. These are poor and easily remedied excuses.

Let’s make “becoming civically informed” one of our top priorities as college students.