With the Nov. 6 midterm elections right around the corner, you may be asking yourself, “Am I going to vote?”

However, the question you should be asking yourself is, “Who am I voting for?”

Voter turnout among young people, such as college students, is often low because young people feel they are not qualified to vote because they are not as well informed as older people. According to an article published last month in the Washington Post, only 16 percent of people 18-29 voted in the 2014 election.

So many people want to rant about politics on social media, but that won’t change anything except your followers.

The only true way for the average person to make a difference in the political field is to cast their votes.

However, even out of the people that vote, many don’t vote outside of presidential elections.

Why should I vote outside of the presidential election?

The president is not the only person that represents you. The people that truly represent you are your congressional representatives and local politicians.

So if you’re one of those people passionate about President Donald Trump and you want to reign in or secure his power, voting in the representatives that match your viewpoints in the midterm elections would be a wise choice.

The first step to making sure your local and state government reflect your values is to make sure you register to vote.

How do I register to vote?

You can register to vote by going to votetexas.gov to get the application that you fill out and mail to your County Voter Registrar. The site can also help you figure out if you’re already registered to vote.

Some of you may not even know which candidates are running and where, let alone who to vote for.

So how do I know who to vote for?

If you choose to vote, it should be for someone that you choose for yourself. Your candidate represents you, so if they aren’t doing what’s in your best interests then you should probably find someone who will.

The current education system may not be the best at informing young people of when, where, and how to decide who to vote for. You also may not want to vote for a specific party because you don’t feel you identify with either.  You may want to vote based on the individual candidates.

That’s OK, but none of these is an excuse not to vote. With a little googling, people can pull up websites talking about the different candidates’ history, beliefs, and previous legislation. The bigger the candidate the more information there should be out there on them. It can be a little intimating at first, but so are all things when you first start them.

Why is it important to vote?

Voting allows people to get their voices and issues out there. It seems like the average politician doesn’t care about young people and their problems. We’ve seen little mention of student loan debt, for example, even though it’s a growing problem in the country.

This is because the politicians don’t see us as reliable voters worth fighting for even though young people are the largest population of voters. The only way this is going to change is if young people break the cycle of ignorance by voting and showing the country the power of their voice.