Democracy is a wonderful institution and those who take part in it are among the most fortunate citizens on earth. I am proud that we live in a country where everyone has a voice when it comes to choosing their leaders.

UK students have the opportunity to practice their own form of democracy by casting their vote during the Student Government Association elections this week. If students want their opinions on university decisions to matter, that’s exactly what they should do on Wednesday and Thursday.

To some students, voting for their student government leaders might not seem like a big deal. They might think that no matter what the student government does, it will have little to no effect on their time at UK.

But voting in student government elections gives students the chance to select the individuals who will represent their interests to the university. The student body president represents us at the university’s Board of Trustees meetings, where all the important financial decisions are made.

Their decisions, like the one to build the new Student Center, have an absolute and direct effect on all of us. The election also gives students the chance to choose how they want their money to be spent.

For example, current Student Body President Jake Ingram campaigned on a platform of enacting various safety initiatives. One of those safety initiatives took the form of a phone application called “LiveSafe,” which cost $20,000 to implement, according to Ingram.

I am not saying that the decision to focus on safety or implement the phone app was a good or bad idea either way, and I’m not focusing on the app’s successes or failures. I’m saying that when students vote, they get to decide which candidate they think will use their money most effectively, considering SGA is largely funded by student fees.

Each year students have the choice of which direction they want to take with their leaders. On Monday I attended the annual SGA Presidential and Vice Presidential Debate, and had the opportunity to hear each team present their case.

The candidates differ on several key issues, such as the “LiveSafe” phone app. Candidates Dwight Haggard and Taylor Dale Clark view the app as a waste of SGA funding, and believe that the university and the Violence Intervention and Prevention Center should be involved in making campus safer.

Opposing candidates Austin Mullen and Jenna Hollinden support the app and said the money used to fund it was well spent.

These are the things students must keep in mind when voting — who they want to represent them during university decisions, how they want their money to be spent, etc. The most important thing is that students vote, so that we have leaders who the majority of our student body supports. After all, what’s the point in having democracy if you’re unwilling to practice it?