There are many ways for Oberlin students to affect positive change in this world, and voting this coming Tuesday, Nov. 6 is an important one of these. I’m a permanent resident of this community; I have lived here for more of my life than anywhere else. I want to strongly agree with a recent opinion piece by College junior Ezra Andres-Tysch (“Students Should Vote in Local Elections,” The Oberlin Review, Oct. 12, 2018). Students who are residents of the City of Oberlin and registered in Ohio have a right and, I would say, a responsibility to participate in local and state as well as national elections. Don’t let anyone tell you that you should not be exercising your rights; people have fought and died for these rights!

It is easy to educate yourself. Oberlin’s League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan citizen’s group that promotes active participation in government, has a voters’ guide on their website that summarizes candidates and the pros and cons of local issues (my.lwv.org/ohio/oberlin-area). Many of us feel that the state of politics is at one of its ugliest and darkest moments in recent history. Voting next Tuesday is one of the most positive, hopeful, and affirmative statements you can make about your commitment to a better future. Vote!