College students are only a few short years away from entering the job market.How competitive will that market be? How much money will we have to pay in taxes once we receive that first paycheck? And what type of job security will there be?

Students assume they have little influence on the answers to these questions. But in reality, they do. Decisions affecting those issues will be made by the men and women elected to office – from local government to Washington D.C.

This coming election will not only affect citizens in the business world but also in the societal future. College students’ control is in the voting booth, but, as young people, it is not enough – as some urge – to just get out and vote; it is important students become well-informed on issues that matter and vote in the best interest.

Decisions made by elected officials directly affect young Americans. They decide foreign policy such as the war on terror and the war in Iraq that affect not only brave service men and women and their friends and family, but also politicians have a huge impact on our economy and our national security.

Many people have all seen P-Diddy jump around on MTV’s Total Request Live and shout “Rock the vote.”

Those just urging college students to vote emphasize the importance of making voices heard but they don’t seem to realize the importance of making that voice educated and worth listening to. If students do not take the time to research the issues, they may actually be voting against their best interests.

Many young people believe there is no reason to vote, that it won’t make any difference because those elected only listen to lobbyists or the big campaign donors. But if that is true – or even a little true – doing nothing only accelerates the problem.

Jamie Crum for the editorial board