With the Washington state March primary happening this week, it has never been a more important time to be involved by voting. The primary is the first big step in electing our 2020 president, as you are choosing the candidates who will be competing for the presidency. 

    As a U.S. resident, you are an important part of the political system. Every vote counts. For people who don’t know what’s happening in the world politically, take five minutes of your time to research the main candidates who are running. Currently, that would mean finding a reliable source to research Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. According to the media bias chart, some fair and reliable sources are NPR, CNN, PBS or CBS. If you really don’t have five minutes of your time to research who could very well be the future of your country, ask a close friend, whom you trust, where they put their vote. There are so many opportunities to become educated about our political system, and so many ways to keep up with the news. No one should have a reason to not vote. 

    If your excuse truly is that you don’t know what’s happening in our government system right now, you’ve made a mistake somewhere. As a citizen of the U.S., you have the fairly simple task of checking the news say, once a week. If you are a parent who is not up to date on politics–educate yourself. Your children will likely follow your path when it comes to voting, and if you aren’t up to date, your children won’t be either. Educating the young geographic of our population on politics is one of the most important duties that adults have. It’s also one of the easiest. So please, if you are older than 18, or if you will be 18 soon, do some research. Turn the TV on once a week to watch reliable news. If you are a parent or teacher, educate your children. If you are curious about politics or what is happening in the world and want to hear it from a professional, email a state representative. 

    For those of you who say your vote “doesn’t matter,” let me stop you there. With the proportional representation system that is used in Washington and most of the U.S states, the more people that vote, the better. Help your state and your country by making your voice heard. 

    If you are 18 or older, follow your civic duty to the country and vote. If you aren’t registered, take 30 minutes of your day to go to the courthouse, register and get a ballot. If you are 16 or 17, you can pre-register to vote so you’ll be ready when you turn 18. To vote in the primary, all ballots must be postmarked by March 10 or turned in to the courthouse by 8 p.m.