Your presidential candidate dropped out, but you can't abstain from voting altogether

With Senator Bernie Sanders' recent announcement about the suspension of his campaign, I've seen countless people expressing their disappointment about the remaining prospects for the nominee for president. As a college student and given Sanders' popularity with this crowd, many of my peers were rooting for Bernie to be the nominee and eventual next president. Naturally, a lot of them were devastated by his recent announcement that he would no longer be campaigning. I know how this feels. I spent six months volunteering for Senator Elizabeth Warren during her shot at securing the Democratic nomination. I spent hours tabling, knocking on doors, registering voters and calling potential voters to try to get her on the presidential ballot in November. The day that early voting started in North Carolina, I was one of the first people in line when the polls opened at 7 am. When she dropped out following a lackluster Super Tuesday performance, I was heartbroken. Even though I knew it was probably going to happen, Senator Warren dropping out didn't hurt any less. I was so excited not only at the prospect of a female president, but by the intelligent, thorough, well-thought-out policy plans that she was known for. I was devastated when I realized she couldn't put them into action as our next president and the first woman to do so. Your candidate not making it to the general election can be frustrating, discouraging, concerning and disheartening all at once. However, by no means should you swear off voting altogether. This attitude of "my candidate wasn't picked there's no point of even voting at all" is one that's particularly prevalent among people my age. Young, college-aged people in particular, who already have low voter turnout rates compared to other age groups, can be quick to vow not to vote at all in November when their preferred candidate doesn't make to the nomination. After all, if this person couldn't win you over in the primary round, then why should you vote for them in the general? You probably don't agree with all of their platforms, or else they would've received your vote to begin with. For starters, I'm going to mention the trite, cliche reasoning that people fought long and hard for your right to vote. Voting allows us to do something when we don't like the way things are and enables our voices to be heard. There was a time when rich, educated, property-owning white men were the only ones in society who were allowed to vote. Women and people of color (and still continue to fight!) for their voices to be included in our democracy. Voting rights have been a political issue throughout history, and ballot access continues to be an important battle today. If you're in a position where you are able to vote, you should utilize this right that because not everyone else has that opportunity. However, and perhaps more importantly, you also shouldn't renounce voting altogether just because the candidate for one office isn't who you wanted it to be. This mainly applies to the office of president, since that's were I see this sort of sentiment the most. If you were a die-hard Bernie supporter and now that he's out, you feel like you shouldn't vote altogether, then you need reevaluate this mindset. There's too much at stake in November to not vote just because you don't like who's running for president. No matter where you live, there are a number of offices on the ticket at the local, state and federal levels. Don't agree with who's running for president? Then find someone else to put your political energy behind. Find someone you align with that's running for senator, state legislator, mayor, school board, judge or any other office and campaign for them. Post about them on social media, go to their campaign events, donate money or volunteer if you can. Arguably, these "smaller" offices have an even greater and more direct impact on your life than the presidency does. If you absolutely cannot find any candidate on your ballot that you can support, then find one in another state or district. One of the most amazing things about the digital age is that it enables you to make calls or otherwise virtually volunteer for a political candidate anywhere in the country. All political offices matter, which is why they're on the ballot. There is so much more that your right to vote can do than just electing the president. Are you disappointed that there isn't a more progressive candidate running for president? Then find a progressive to support who's running for another office. Do you feel like the White House is definitely going to belong to the wrong person come November? Then work on electing a legislature who can pass better legislation and override that person's veto. Are you upset that your pick for president is no longer in the race? Don't just give up on voting altogether. Even if you don't vote for president, vote for the other candidates on your ballot. Chances are, they need your individual vote more than the president does. And if you aren't registered to vote, do it here: https://www.vote.org/register-to-vote/