I’m not a per­son who is deeply inter­ested in pol­i­tics, but there is one thing I never for­get to do: vote.

Voting is a right that every American cit­i­zen has and one that each per­son should not take lightly. Voter reg­is­tra­tion has taken place on cam­pus for the last week or so and there will be table set up in the quad on Sept. 29 where you can reg­is­ter as well.

I would encour­age every­one who has not yet reg­is­tered to take the time to do so. It takes less than five min­utes to do. It is con­ve­niently located on cam­pus and peo­ple will assist you should any prob­lems or ques­tions arise.

When I was a fresh­man at Ferris, I reg­is­tered to vote right here on cam­pus for the guber­na­to­r­ial elec­tion between Jennifer Granholm and Dick DeVos. I did not have a strong inter­est in either can­di­date, but I reg­is­tered any­way. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited to vote for the first time.

Registering to vote is only the first step in the process, how­ever. Just because a per­son is reg­is­tered doesn’t mean he or she will vote. The vot­ing process takes some time, but it is worth it. I’ve always said, “If you didn’t vote, don’t com­plain.” The actual phrase uses slightly dif­fer­ent dic­tion, but you get the idea.

Find out who is run­ning for gov­er­nor of Michigan and take some time to research both can­di­dates. If you do not know what stances each can­di­date is tak­ing, find out. Be a knowl­edge­able voter. Be an informed voter. Do not vote for a can­di­date sim­ply because they are demo­c­rat or repub­li­can. Instead, vote based on what you believe is best for the state of Michigan.

It’s no secret that Michigan has had its strug­gles over the last eight years. At 13.1 per­cent, Michigan has the sec­ond high­est unem­ploy­ment rate in the nation

The decline of the auto­mo­bile indus­try is the major rea­son for the eco­nomic skid in Michigan over the last two years, but some­thing should have been done to pre­vent it. Why are there still so many peo­ple out of work?

All I know is that Michigan will have a new gov­er­nor as of Jan. 1, 2011 and every per­son has the right and duty to vote. n