On Tuesday, millions of Americans will line up to cast their vote for the 47th president of the United States, as well as in a number of down-ballot races. One-third of Senate seats are up for election, including a highly contested race right here in Ohio, along with the entire House of Representatives. A number of local races that have the potential to affect the daily lives of Americans everywhere will also be decided when we cast our ballots.

‘Exercise your civic duty by voting.’ We know that you’ve heard this before, but it’s important that we all hear it again, lest we allow excuses to keep us from fulfilling our responsibility as citizens of a democratic republic. We can, and do, choose our government every election cycle. It can be easy to feel removed from the governing process, and it’s easier still to feel that your single vote won’t make a difference. Americans turned out to the polls in the highest numbers in over a century in 2020, but about one-third of the voting-eligible population still stayed home. And young voters are notorious for not showing up to the polls: A little over half of voters ages 18-24 turned out to vote that year.

Whether you’re registered here in Ohio or in your home state, voting is both a civic duty and a concrete way to effect change. There is a high likelihood that the next president will nominate at least one Supreme Court justice, and issues like abortion access, marijuana legalization and so many more will be on ballots nationwide and up for debate in state legislatures across the country in the coming years. It may be tiresome to hear that every election is the most consequential of our lifetimes, but whether or not that’s true, every election has the potential to directly affect you — so act accordingly.

And to any professors who might be reading this, consider canceling class this Tuesday if you want to make sure your students vote. In the spirit of civic duty, of course.

Sincerely,

Audrey, Katie and Annalia

This editorial was written by editors-in-chief Katie Sparvero ’25 and Audrey Baker ’25 and managing editor Annalia Fiore ’25. You can contact them at sparvero1@kenyon.edu, baker10@kenyon.edu and fiore1@kenyon.edu, respectively.