As a high school junior, I have a lot of big decisions that I will make in the next year. One of those decisions will be for whom I vote for president. However, I’ve noticed a certain idea that is strongly upheld by many of my elders: high school students simply don’t care about the upcoming election. This is of course outrageous, not only because of my own personal political ties, but also because of the physical evidence.

Recently, a poll was conducted by fusion.net, which asked 1000 millennials (18-34 year olds) if they were planning on turning out to vote in 2016. The poll showed that 77% of those polled were either “absolutely certain” or “very likely” to show up to vote. This proves how strongly people of my generation view the future of the U.S., and debunks any opposition upheld by those who think that all high school students are vacuous and caught up in their own world.

The future of this country deserves to be considered by those who will be most heavily impacted by the problems of tomorrow. Believing that an 18-year-old is any less capable of carefully considering their future is the exact opposite of what those who advise young people should do. Instead, please encourage us to vote and engage our fascination, instead as excusing us as “oblivious” teens.