In presidential elections, only around 50 percent of the eligible population of the United States actually goes to the polls to cast their vote, while only about 46 percent vote in congressional elections (about 80 percent of registered voters vote). In France, right around 70 percent vote in both presidential and parliamentary elections and in the United Kingdom 60 percent turn out for Parliament. None of these countries have any kind of voting law or penalty, unlike Australia who fines residents who do not exercise their right. As a result of this law, almost 90 percent of their eligible voters go to the polls for each parliamentary election.

So why is any of this information relevant right now? You may not realize, but Tuesday is Election Day. The one day where anyone over 18 old can make a difference and take some action instead of just complaining about the current state of affairs in America. But, as we all know, most people (over half of the population, based on past years) will not do their part.

The usual excuses will be thrown out, such as, 'I didn't have enough time' or 'Registration is too inconvenient.' Others will just claim that they didn't care enough to vote or that politics is not important to them. These same people, who decided that they couldn't take a few minutes of their life to pull a lever, punch a ballot, or care about our country will then complain when the current state of affairs in the United States isn't to their liking. People who do not vote have no right to complain about the current people in power. If everyone in our country took this apathetic approach, elections would be pointless.

Look around the world where democracy is not a way of life. People in those areas will die for the right to vote and not be ruled over by a dictatorship. A perfect example of this is in Iraq, where people stood in line knowing full well that bombs would soon be going off just so they could exercise their right to finally make a difference in the world. Here in the United States, though, we have begun to take our rights for granted and no longer realize just how privileged we are to be able to live in a system like we do.

So the question becomes, what would make Americans realize that voting is an important responsibility that should be taken seriously? The most extreme answer would be to just take away the right altogether which is just absurd and would never happen. So, I would propose establishing a law that mirrors what the Australians have in place. It would not necessarily have to be a direct fine, but some kind of penalty needs to be put in place. In conjunction with this, registration could be easier with some kind of online option or automatic registration with a driver's license.

So, fellow students of UD, get out there and attempt to make a difference in the world. I don't care who you are voting for, even if it is a third party, just cast a vote. Voting is a privilege, just like our freedom of speech, and should be exercised as such.