With this upcoming presidential election, many students are conflicted on whether or not they should vote, others are just apathetic.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the percentage of 18 through 25 year-olds who had voted in the 2008 presidential election (44.3 percent) dropped to 38 percent in the 2012 election.

Young voter turnout have been low, but we have the power to change those statistics.

This election will affect everyone, regardless of age. Several issues regarding college tuition and minimum wage could also potentially affect us as college students.

If you want to decide on issues that’ll benefit you, don’t let other people choose what happens to your future. You vote for your own future.

Registering is a simple process. MyCSUSM, offers a ‘Register to Vote’ link that takes you directly to the registration page and you can register through there. Or you can go directly to the California Secretary of State website: http://registertovote.ca.gov.

There are also many websites that provide resources to help you decide which candidates, propositions and congressional candidates are worth voting for. ASI provides a website about these different issues:  http://www.csusm.edu/election2016.

Being that you are a college student, time can be problematic. However, just spending at least 30 minutes each day, researching issues on the ballot will inform you and not take that much time off your schedule.

Election day falls on a Tuesday which means that most of us have school or work. Since I’m always busy on Tuesdays, I don’t have time to wait and vote at the polls but voting by mail helps me save time.

I vote by mail because it’s easier for me to just drop off my ballot and continue with my day. Vote by mail if your schedule is hectic and you don’t have time to go to the polls.

Being a U.S. citizen and being able to vote is a privilege that we take for granted. If you meet the eligible voting requirements, register and vote!

The struggles people went through to gain voting rights shouldn’t be thrown away because we doubt the government. We should be thankful to the past generations that kept fighting for equal voting rights.

Vote to express your ideas and thoughts. Vote because you have a voice. Vote to make your own decisions. Vote on Nov. 8.