As citizens, it’s one of our most fundamental rights. As humans, it’s a key ingredient in satisfying our voracious appetite to be free.

What The Knight is talking about, of course, its the opportunity to vote – an opportunity to choose.

Wars have been started, people have died and countries have been torn apart for the chance to have a voice. Now although voting for SGA pales in comparison to any of those examples when judged against deciding what classes to take, whether to eat at Doc’s or Knight’s or where to party this weekend, it seems like a pretty big deal.

This year SGA did this, that and the other but the plans for next year have yet to be written. One thing is for sure, however – if you don’t vote, you don’t have a say in any of the plans for next year.  Voting apathy can turn SGA elections from an opportunity to give students a voice to an opportunity to see what a popularity contest looks like.

Indifference can  have negative effects as lower voter turnout allows candidates who aren’t ready to lead a chance to hang around longer than they should (see: 2012 Republican nomination process).

For underclassmen, the incentive to vote is obvious. What SGA decides to do affects you more than you think, whether you want to admit it or not. A good group of leaders can make next year’s campus life a little better while a bad group can do the opposite.

For seniors, who may have already mentally checked out of school, the benefits may not be as clearly defined. This SGA election serves as one of the last chances you’ll have to affect the university.

So, hopefully, for the past nine pages you’ve studied the candidates, their issues and proposals and can make an informative decision come May 19 and 20.