In the 2016 United States election, only about 55% of eligible voters voted, less than every Canadian general election since 1867. Only around half the people who could chose who would lead our country for the next four years. That sounds like the opposite of a democracy.

In the US election, every vote matters. In 2000, Bush beat Al Gore by just over 500 votes. Bush won by only around 0.0000017% of the United States population. If only a few hundred more people Voted for Al Gore, he would have won.

United States citizens have the leisure of being able to vote in fair, free elections. Not every nation lets citizens do this, so voting is a terrific way to exercise your rights. People fought for the right to vote during the 18th and 19th centuries, and many lost their lives. They died because they knew that voicing an opinion is a right that not everybody in the world has.

If someone does not vote, they cannot complain if they do not like the President. They did not care enough about the future of their country enough to take one day to vote. No matter what anyone believes when it comes to our next President, people should still exercise their rights.

Voting is a fundamental right that everybody should exercise. It affects life in fundamental ways, from how much taxes are to foreign diplomacy. If people vote, people matter, and everybody wants to matter.