Well, here we are.

Nikki Haley lost the Republican nomination, the criminal charges against Trump are failing, and Biden continues to displease many citizens with his actions. With all this, the 2024 election season has arrived, and the ticket we’re looking at isn’t what we wanted. In fact, for many of us, it’s our worst nightmare. But regardless of these thoughts, it’s time to accept the reality of a Trump/Biden rematch.

With several issues plaguing voters’ minds right now—from abortion to the economy to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza—it’s no surprise why many of us are feeling a sense of despair about the state of the world.

For us young voters, especially, we feel misrepresented by many of the older politicians who are controlling the decisions on the problems we care about. Across the nation, many Democrats are voting “uncommitted” in primaries because they disapprove of Biden’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Meanwhile, many Republicans who backed Haley’s campaign now feel lost, either reluctantly supporting Trump or refusing to back neither him nor Biden.

Yes, as voters, we feel frustrated with the current choice we are given. We remember Jan. 6 and Trump’s role on that day. We remember when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022. We remember how long Biden delayed sending aid to Gaza, and many of us feel discontent with how he has managed the economy.

But whatever our reasoning for our dissatisfaction with both Trump and Biden, many others are likely able to understand.

We are not alone, and many college students can’t wrap their heads around how we have gotten to this point. The exact same ticket as 2020 leads many of us to ask, “Why couldn’t we nominate someone else?”

Nowadays, every time that I ask someone about the election, or whenever it is brought up in a conversation, I usually hear the same response: “I’m not voting.”

If not this, then many of the people my age say, “I don’t feel good about it.”

But even though we feel this way, we still have to turn out for the election.

For many of us, this will be our first chance to vote in a presidential election. Moreover, whether we are single-issue voters, lean Republican or Democrat, or consider ourselves “disconnected” from politics, every one of us has an issue or policy we care about—even if we don’t express it publicly.

By not voting, even in an election where we don’t feel our interests are represented, we prevent ourselves from making an impact that, deep down, we want to see.

Our right to carry out this task is also unique compared to many other nations. This makes the prospect of voting thrilling for those outside the United States. They wish they could have the same rights we do, so why would we refute it?

The Trump/Biden rematch is continuing to draw people away from voting, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who we vote for; it just matters that we do it––to fulfill this civic duty, to make our voices heard.

Beyond showing our political differences, these are the real aspects of voting that youth need to realize when they head to the polls.