Every Nov. 5 we find ourselves prideful in our voting decisions or apathetic in our lack of participation. And when president nominees aren’t shoving their messages down our throats months in advance, it’s easy to disregard city elections.

But voting is a quintessential part of being a United States citizen, and we shouldn’t treat our ballots like a midterm we forgot about. Do some prior research before heading to the polls so you know the real implications of the topics you’re voting on.

Statistically, college students are the least likely population to vote, and while this may be reason enough to say “just vote,” ignorantly voting is just as irresponsible as not voting at all. We’re all adults at this stage of the game, and we need to take responsibility for the actions and ramifications of our vote. Not only this, but we are residents of Fort Collins.

We might be living here for four years or 40, but all 148,612  residents of this town will be affected by our votes.

So here’s a rundown of the issues:

Proposition AA, or the taxation of marijuana, will provide funding for schools.

Question 2A will ban fracking within city limits.

Amendment 66 would provide $1 billion for K-12 students, meaning future CSU Rams might be smarter than we are.

But don’t take our word for it, research for yourself and go vote today.

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