The final swarm of political ads and last-minute campaign attacks begin. With incessant phone calls and a campus teeming with canvassers, it’s important to direct our attention back to what really matters: our voice. This campaign season has distracted us and stolen our attention innumerable times and in countless forms throughout the past year. Now, in the final stretch, over the repetitive blaring of major news networks’ conveniently timed, damaging political coverage, we must remember that to affect change, we need to speak up. Go vote. Whether you’ve just turned 18, or have voted religiously your entire adult life, apathy cannot be afforded a role in this election.

Both President Barack Obama and presidential candidate Mitt Romney have been courting the youth vote for some time now —and with good reason. The issues that are most hotly contested on a national scale, like the national debt, health care, gay rights and the future of our economy are all concerns that affect our generation in a big way — and not just now; as we work our way into the real world, these issues (and the policies we choose to address them) will continue to influence us throughout our lives.

The last day to pre-register to vote in Minnesota is Oct. 16, but go do it today. University of Minnesota Libraries will have voter registration applications available until Oct. 16. If you go to the University Libraries website, you can follow the Polling Place Finder link to find out where you will be voting, as well as a list of all the candidates up for election in your district. On Election Day, you will need to provide identification and proof of residence; a variety of materials for doing so are listed on the libraries website.