In my final days of volunteering for the Biden-Harris campaign, I had a rather frustrating conversation with a first-time voter. This voter was feeling very discouraged by the vile partisanship of this election cycle and told me they don’t see themselves voting because, as they put it, “my vote doesn’t matter.”

As a politically-active minor, I’m very frustrated that there are people out there that still believe their vote doesn’t matter. For many of us, our rights to vote had to be fought for over the course of many decades. White women couldn’t vote until 1920. Black people couldn’t vote safely until 1965. Eighteen-year-olds couldn’t vote until 1971. If a vote truly did not matter, would women have fought for their right to vote? Would Black people? Would eighteen-year-olds? They fought because they knew that their voice in elections would have major impacts on the way our country is run. Their votes mattered, and so do ours.

Voting is one of the few civic responsibilities we have as citizens and one of the few chances that we get to have our voices heard in federal, state and local governments. Whether you are absolutely satisfied or absolutely furious with the way our country has been run, voting gives everyone the opportunity to express those feelings and make the change they want to see in our government.

Embracing America’s democracy is so important in times where the very structure of our government feels threatened. By voting, we can reinforce the ideals our country was based on. Getting out the vote for our candidates of choice is so important if we want to have a say in the leadership and legacy of our country.

Ultimately, the choice of voting or not all depends on how you want to be remembered. Your children and grandchildren will learn about this election, and they likely will ask you what you did. Will you say you sat out on one of the most important elections of our lifetime? Or will you say that you voted?