Voters are almost ready to go through the motions of cast their ballots. There are just a few more days of dealing with the barrage of campaign ads and emails that we can’t wait to delete.

Minus these annoying campaign ads and emails, I find much excitement in these upcoming elections because it will be my first time voting in a Presidential election.

Four years ago, I remember and being a little jealous of my friends that got to vote because I wanted so badly.

At that time, the  “Rock the Vote” marketing campaign was huge. Getting the youth vote was one of the big focuses of both parties. They’re trying extra hard to recognize that demographic, notorious for low voter turnout.

This current election seems to have a different tone.

Young voters between ages 18-29 have been neglected this year and have responded by not wanting to vote. I have mvany friends who say they that they have no intention of voting in this election because they feel that candidates have not spoken to their needs or answered any of their questions.

Of course the candidates have touched on issues, such as health care, financial aid and jobs after college, but both major candidates basically just bounced around ideas, not telling us what exactly was going to be done to ensure we have these things. This frustrates voters in general, especially the younger ones.

As voters, doing research into the candidate’s policies to get a better understanding of their intentions is a must. Not everyone thinks like me though. Candidates shouldn’t count out the youth vote. Obama knows from the previous election how powerful we really are. Knowledge is power, so use yours and make a statement by casting an independent or third party vote.

The candidates should give us more attention. However, we can’t neglect the fact that together, we can still make our voices heard.

It’s important to let the candidates know that our voice is significant.

We have just as much at stake as other voters. I don’t appreciate the annoying two-party game, but I still intend on casting my vote in this election.