For many students at Oswego State, this November will be the first time they will be eligible to cast their vote in a presidential election. 2016 is shaping itself to be the most radical, controversial and downright unexpected election our country has ever held. For more than a year, it seems the only news on any media format has involved candidates’ soundbites and polling numbers.

It is inescapable.

Whether on television or your Facebook news feed, everything seems to revolve around the election.

During primary season, the entire country watched as candidate after candidate dropped out after underwhelming performances in the polls. Until eventually, only two candidates remained.

It seemed that everywhere you looked, there was someone taking their Ted Cruz sign out of their front lawn or scraping their “Feel the Bern” bumper sticker off their car.

With the first debate between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump scheduled for Sept. 26, the time has come for voters to face the reality that these are their nominees; a former secretary of state with a troubled email account and a pompous business executive with an eponymous franchise empire. Clinton and Trump are the nominees in this year’s election, and for better or worse, we’ll have to pick one of them as commander-in-chief.

This November, those of us registered to vote have a choice to make.

Vote Oswego has led a relentless campaign to help students apply for absentee ballots or register so they can ensure their voice is heard. Even though this election is one that many hail as the choice between “the lesser of two evils,” it is still an election we need to participate in.

As Americans, we cannot take our ability to vote and choose our political representation for granted. If we are of age and have registered to vote, either with the help of Vote Oswego or on our own, then on Election Day we should be using our power as citizens to select our next president.

If you decide not to cast your vote for any candidate this fall, then you’re assuming the position of a spectator rather than a voter. If you do not vote in this election, then you should have nothing to say about it. Do not complain about the outcome if you never filled out a ballot.

Election Day is less than 60 days away. In that amount of time, voters should educate themselves on each candidate and their viewpoints. If you find yourself wanting to build a wall on the Mexican border, then you may want to vote for Trump. If Clinton’s support of Planned Parenthood appeals to you, then she might be your candidate. There is also Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party to choose from if you want to go with that route.

Regardless of who you vote for, the most important thing you can do this fall is simply that: vote.