Being involved in a student organization has given me a unique opportunity to gain experience in many different areas, including legislative affairs.

One of the things that your Oakland University Student Congress has been doing to inform the students on important issues revolves around our Legislative Affairs section of our organization.

Michelle Alwardt, who is the director of Legislative Affairs, has been working very hard to get people registered to vote as well as put on events that will help people understand the importance politics and activism.

Some of those events include bringing in state representatives to have coffee chats, enhancing the opportunity for students to let their voice be heard, and fostering the idea of standing up for what you believe in.

But what does it mean to vote? Why is it important? The answer is simple, really.

Voting in this year’s election is important because whoever is the President for the next four years will greatly shape this country’s future.

More specifically, that person will most likely greatly shape your next four years as well.

As a student, you have to be aware of the views and opinions of the leaders of this country. Your education is on the line. The post-graduation job search will also be affected. The basic building blocks to your future are really on the line here.

As a student leader on campus, I take it as one of my duties to push people to be informed of all of the candidates, their platforms, their opinions, and so on.

But why does it matter?

Because you matter. Your vote counts. Your voice deserves to be heard. Period.

If you feel like Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the best fit for the country, you should vote for them.

If you feel like Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are the best fit for the country, you should vote for them.

If you feel like neither of them are fit, you should look into some alternatives, including Gary Johnson who represents the Libertarian party.

Whatever you do, make sure that you research the person that you want to vote for.

Don’t go to the voting booth on Nov. 6th and make an educated “guess,” mostly because guessing means you don’t know who you support.

Don’t vote for someone because their name looks cool or because their smile is wider than everyone else’s. Vote for someone because you feel like they can fully represent you and lead this country.

Another reason to vote is because if you don’t, you have no right to complain about the powers in office. Your voice is taken away through your own inaction. Do you really want that? I know I don’t, and that’s why I’ll be at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 6.

Oh and by the way, OUSC will be holding an event called “Voting for Dummies” (which means we want to teach you basic voting skills and candidate stances, not literally in the sense that you’re voting for a dummy).

The event is on Nov. 1 in the Lake Michigan Room of the Oakland Center. Come on out so that you can learn about the different views of the people who want to lead this country. You can email OUSC at [email protected] if you have any questions.

—

Robbie Williford is the Oakland University Student Congress Vice President. Email him at

[email protected] or follow

him on Twitter @rfwilliford