12.37 percent. That’s how many seniors voted in this year’s student government elections.

And the numbers don’t get much better for the rest of the student body. 32.73 percent of juniors, 32.47 percent of sophomores and 22.42 percent of first years participated in elections.

And guess what? As of yesterday, there are still four positions that haven’t been filled.

The numbers don’t lie — people aren’t voting. We would venture to guess that a significant majority don’t care to vote. Maybe some believe student government decisions don’t affect them or others are unsure as to what student government does — maybe more didn’t even know elections happened the two weeks after spring break. But if fewer than half of students in each class are voting, then it’s safe to assume the majority of students aren’t having their interests represented on student government.

And they don’t seem to care.

Even if only to a small degree, student government makes decisions that affect each and every student. They approve or deny every single budget the Business and Finance Committee (BFC) hears. Ever wondered at Social Board’s decision to select certain bands over others? This decision largely stems from their budget — a budget the BFC hears and student government then decides upon.

What about Senior Week activities? Yep, those plans fall under the jurisdiction of the Senior Class Committee and Senior Class President — subsets of Student Council.

Maybe you believe student government doesn’t affect you. Maybe you think your vote doesn’t count. Maybe you didn’t know what Student Council does. Now you do, and there are no excuses.

Voting is a chance to make an impact on the decisions that determine your time here at Kenyon. Don’t waste your ability to make an impact. And don’t excuse that decision by saying, “Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

It really does.