Being able to vote for one’s leaders is not a natural right; it’s a privilege that not all countries in the world have. The U.S. is far from a perfect society, but our government is comprised of individuals chosen by the public. And when the public does not participate in this very essential part of our democracy, it devalues the sacrifices made by so many to achieve such a status.

Arguably no demographic is more guilty of this than college-age Americans. Research shows that about 20 percent of Americans 18-29 years old voted in the 2014 midterm election. UK students and other young Americans are focused on getting educated, building a career and, of course, making sure their selfie game is on point. Students aren’t misguided or wrong for doing these things, but these concerns do not abdicate students of their duties as U.S. and Kentucky citizens.

In November, Kentuckians will elect the man that will run our state government for the next four to possibly eight years in the 2015 gubernatorial election. And yet it probably wouldn’t be a surprise to learn that most students don’t know basic details about the candidates, or that there is even an election.

Some citizens will say they don’t vote because they believe their votes ultimately won’t matter, that politicians are corrupt and they will be making a poor decision either way, while others say they simply lack the time or interest.

But of course elections are typically decided by a majority vote, so the fact is every vote does matter. By saying one vote doesn’t matter, citizens cheat themselves out of whatever power they do have in this political system.

And while some of the stereotypes about politicians are arguably justified, there are often legitimate differences between candidates. Case-in-point, in the Kentucky gubernatorial election, Democratic candidate Jack Conway wants to keep the current health care system established under the Affordable Care Act, whereas Republican candidate Matt Bevin wants to dismantle it as soon as he gets the chance. The difference between the two being whether or not about half-a-million Kentuckians will keep their newly found health insurance.

And the lack of time argument is by far the poorest. UK fans alone will camp outside of Memorial Coliseum for days to get tickets for Big Blue Madness. Taking the time to go home to vote or fill out an absentee ballot seems pretty insignificant comparatively.

Plenty of citizens like to complain about how inefficient government is, and some of those criticisms hold weight. But abstaining from voting is not the solution. It’s the problem, and students have to vote if they genuinely care about the policies they support.

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