It’s that time of year, folks. Coffee is no longer an enjoyable luxury, but a necessity that one chugs like there’s no tomorrow. The third floor of Olin Library is more populated than Washington University football games, and your sleep schedule is borderline irreparable. Vic Mensa didn’t even want to come here. In short, midterms have begun.

If you’re lucky, or a well-organized person, you’ll have a nice distribution of essays, exams and presentations that don’t fall on the same day, and you will probably prepare in advance in order to reduce stress. For those of you who aren’t nerds, however, things are probably a little dicier right now. But with a good night’s rest, some time dedicated to looking over your notes (assuming you go to class) and a little bit of Carly Rae Jepsen’s magic, I have no doubt that we’ll get through this together.

Now, it’s easy to focus on your own midterms. Every day brings a new set of homework and challenges and it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture. But there is a set of midterms that need to be addressed: the United States midterm election. Every two years (hence: midterm) a number of federal officials are up for reelection, including the entire House of Representatives and about 33 seats in the Senate. Furthermore, 36 governors are elected, as well as mayors and other public offices (including on the municipal level). In summary, midterms are extremely important!

Last week, WashU Votes spent hours in the Underpass encouraging people to register to vote while volunteers from the St. Louis area were tabling on the Delmar Loop getting as many people to register as possible. Sam Solomons of WashU Votes explained to Student Life that “the deadline to register [to vote] is Oct. 10, so this was a great last minute push. Midterm elections are super important every year, but if anything about our current administration is upsetting you, this is a really important and tangible way to exercise your opinion.” WashU Votes is an objective organization with no political alignment, aimed at encouraging people to vote regardless of party.

Even though college midterms are probably taking over your life at this point in the semester, it’s important to recognize that a larger set of midterms will undoubtedly affect not only your life, but the lives of people who do not have the same opportunities as us here at Wash. U. I encourage everyone to register to vote, get educated on both the municipal level and federal level and head to the polls come November!

Ready to vote or need some more convincing? Our editorial board has even more reasons for you.