High school is all about transition; turning from a child who doesn’t know better to a responsible adult. Students are trying to find who they are and who they want to be. They have more responsibility, deadlines and stress. The easiest way to overcome the craziness of transition is to start paying attention now, whether you’re 13 or 18.

Many younger people don’t realize the duty they have as an adult. Several of them think that all they need to do is get a job, pay the bills and keep out of everyone’s business, but that isn’t necessarily true. Students need to realize that they have a responsibility to their country. Understanding and knowing the Constitution and being informed on our government is crucial for voters of all ages. Those important responsibilities are some of the reasons why you have to be 18 years or older to have the right to vote.

According to dictionary.com, voting is, by definition, “A formal expression of preference for a candidate for office or for a proposed resolution of an issue.”

“You get to have a say of who is in charge,” Junior Jodie Willis said. According to the national census, as of 2012, only 38 percent of adults from ages 18 to 24 chose to help make a change in their nation and vote . This is the age group that voted the least, and yet, students are the next generation of our government.

“They’ve never voted before so it’s not important. They are likely busy juggling new responsibilities – jobs, college classes and social time,” Senior Kelley Pfeiffer said. It’s very hard to make the transition, but it’s a transition that needs to be taken seriously.

A very easy way to keep up to date is watching or reading the news. The news, whether read in newspapers, television or the internet, is all based on proven facts. This will keep you in the loop with who is in the government, what they support and how strongly they support it. This also helps to learn about international news.

Another way for you to do your job as a citizen is to do research. No matter how boring or exciting you think it is, it will help you stay aware of what is going on. You need to identify what side you are on with debates, research the candidates who are running for the government, make sure that you choose the candidates whose platform you agree the most with and actually vote.

“It’s insulting to the ancestors who fought for that right that many people do not vote,” Pfeiffer said.

Voting is something that is very important and can change the way things work in our world.