To the young people of America:

Today, you have the opportunity to do something that will be remembered for decades and generations to come: you have the opportunity to vote.

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, but I am going to ask you to go out there and have your voice heard. Not because young people are a crucial demographic to winning this election, and not because young people are traditionally underrepresented in the political process —

Because young people are the future of the United States of America.

Because in a few years, you’ll no longer be “the youth” but instead you’ll be making the big decisions that will impact foreign policy, the economy, education, defense, the environment, technology, poverty, and civil rights. In a few years, You’ll have no choice but to be the people that the country — heck, the world — look to for guidance and direction.

It only makes sense to prove that you can be mobilized and make smart decisions from now. It doesn’t matter who you decide to vote for (or if you decide to spoil your ballot, as long as there’s a reason behind that decision); it matters that you care enough about what’s going on around you in your country and across the globe to make the conscious and informed decision to exert your right to choose.

So to the young people of America, my plea to you today is to get out and make a decision. Not only is it good practice for the future, but it may just have an impact on how billions of people around the world choose to view and interact with the grand ol’ U.S. of A in the present.

Thanks.

An addendum:

The young people in California have a decision to make on Proposition 8 today as well. In this case, I am going to tell you how to vote:

NO.

Denying anyone their civil liberties based on their sexual orientation is unfair and unconstitutional. You may not agree with homosexuality, and you may not find it proper for gay couples to wed, but denying them the right to do so is a blatant disregard for the core values of fairness and equity that govern the country.

Vote NO on Proposition 8 today, and help protect civil liberties for every American.

Thanks.