Mid-term Election Day is quickly approaching, and we are in the midst of what NBC reporters Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Carrie Dann are calling “The Great American Tune Out.” They are convinced that eligible voters everywhere are simply uninterested in participating in politics; especially with voters under 30—the age demographic that most college students fall into. Only 23 percent of us are expected to turn out to vote for this election cycle.

I see it differently. “Millennials,” as we’ve come to be called, are paying attention. Social media as a news and information resource keeps us connected to what’s going on in politics unlike any generation before us. We know, and more importantly care, about the world that is beyond our tiny college bubble.

A lot of us are feeling that current politics are really discouraging, which can affect excitement about getting out to vote. Congress can’t seem to compromise on anything, and money in politics gives large corporations and wealthy individuals a much louder voice, not to mention ISIS, the Ebola outbreak, immigration laws and the recent wars in both Israel/Palestine and Ukraine. We may stay away because we would rather make change on the ground level—through volunteering or creating start-up organizations that induce change that we can directly see and measure.

But if the majority of us decide to not vote, our voices will continue to go unheard. If politicians don’t see us as a demographic large enough to pay attention to, we will not be represented.  If we want the issues that we care about to become national issues (like student loan debt, for instance), then we must elect candidates who will bring them to the forefront in both Albany and Washington. The only way that to make change happen is by uniting ourselves around the issues we, as 18-29 year old Americans, care about on Election Day.

The issues that are important to millennials often seem to be vastly different than those important to older generations. So vote tomorrow. Voting is one of the simplest ways to get involved. There will be polls located right on campus on Tuesday.

Jessica Faunce
Junior political science and citizenship and civic engagement major
NYPIRG higher education affordability project leader