2020. A year that started off like any other, but slowly turned to chaos. As the ball dropped in Times Square on New Year’s Eve 2019, many hoped that in ushering in a new decade, 2020 would be a new start. No one could have predicted the problems 2020 would bring: a deadly global pandemic, an increasingly hostile political climate, and catastrophic climate disasters.

It’s safe to say that this year will be one for the history books. But it isn’t over yet. Election Day, one of the most important days in the country — the day the American people exercise their right to select the next leader of the United States — is still to come.

This year’s election is far from normal. Millions of Americans, citing health concerns from the pandemic, are voting by mail. Many others are voting early to avoid the long waits expected to accompany the large projected turnouts at polling places on November 3. Given the high number of mail-in-ballots expected, it’s likely that the results of the election won’t be available the night of November 3, or even in the days or weeks after.

Nevertheless, it is imperative that all Americans exercise their constitutional right to vote. In an election of of such significance — and one in which the polls are narrow — each and every vote matters. A single vote can change the results of an election; one vote can determine the electoral votes for a state (whether the electoral votes will be blue or red). 

In the 2016 presidential election, only 58.1% of Americans voted. Almost half of Americans eligible to vote didn’t vote. This loss was detrimental to certain candidates, and the results of the election may have been different if turnout was higher.

As citizens of a democracy, we have the power to enact change in society. We, the American people, have the right to choose their president. We can be the change we want to see in the world. We can make a difference. Use your voice, and make a difference this Election Day.