Election Day is fast approaching. Students around Madison College are gearing up to make their voices heard by casting their ballot in the presidential election, for many it’s their first. You’ve been bombarded by campaign ads, of which have quickly turned negative as Nov. 6 draws nearer.

Watching President Obama and Governor Romney trading barbs and circling each other was like watching a couple of professional wrestlers in the ring. I couldn’t help but wonder, not who I was going to vote for, but why I was even voting in the first place.

Are their fans casting a vote because they believe in these politician’s principles, or are they voting just to stick it to the other side? While I am sure there are many students out there undecided about who to vote for, I wonder how many are asking, “Why vote?”

Every four years it is the same. Both sides attack the other’s abilities. Clean campaigning quickly gives way to attacks, spins and half-truths.

What about the undecided voter? The one being wooed by each side with promises of change, and half-hearted explanations of what went wrong, or how we will get out of this debt. They say the undecided voter is important to the outcome of this election. Well is it?

I am one of these undecided voters. I voted independent in my first election, but it’s said that instead, it was actually a vote for the Republicans. People say that voting independent is hopeless, well isn’t hope what voting is about? If my vote is a wasted one, then I won’t waste my time on voting.

If these candidates would spend their time campaigning the fundamental values and policies they will work towards, this would be a different story. However, as Election Day draws nearer, both seem far more concerned with winning over fans. In the last stretch, politicians often show who they really are.

It’s commonly publicized that voting is a privilege; your civic duty. Voting is your right. Don’t be bullied or guilted into voting on Election Day. Don’t let anyone guilt you into voting. If you feel both candidates are unqualified for the job, then it is your right to not cast a vote.

Voting is a right. So is the right to bear arms. I choose not to own a gun, and I will also exercise my right not to submit a vote.