Students voting locally happens so rarely, the event seems like a myth, said Jana Johnson, assistant administrator of Tarrant County elections office.

“You want to win the lottery, but you never buy a ticket,” she said.

The presidential election is coming up, but students should not let that overshadow what happens in the area that directly surrounds them.

“Your city and schools have the biggest impact on you,” Johnson said. “It takes years to make changes. I definitely think that the youth needs to get involved because so much is happening in our country right now, and it is changing. Those changes are going to affect them.”

A lot of responsibility gets handed from the Senate, the House and the president down to the states and counties that make them up. What’s good for California may not be good for Texas.

The people elected to make decisions for us fly under the radar if we’re not paying attention to them, especially during a presidential election year. But that doesn’t stop them from being in control.

Presidential and gubernatorial elections occur in alternating, even-numbered years. Amendments happen in the remaining, odd-numbered years, every two years.

School boards, governors, state representatives and congressmen make decisions as we bustle about our busy lives. These elected officials get to know our environment, (a high school, a city, a county, an entire state) and decide what to give back to us based on what they figure is best. These are the people who discuss the need for construction on major highways, curriculum in schools and funding for public services.

We are constantly given the chance to decide for ourselves who these people should be and also what they should be doing to make our lives better. The only thing required on our part is making an informed decision, and then voting.

“Ask not what your country can do for you,” … but do you ever wonder?