If you see a college student at the polls today, honk your horn.The 18- to 24-year-old age group has taken a beating for years because of consistently low voter turnout. Politicians have come to assume that Americans our age are apathetic, unconcerned and uninterested in being involved in the democratic process. Politicians and their staffs no longer poll the youth voter demographic (as we are no longer considered "likely voters"), nor do their campaigns cater to issues that are especially relevant to young Americans. We're simply not on the radar.

The one consistant method of reaching the youth demographic has been through popular culture. MTV shows, like the Choose Or Lose debates that were so beneficial to Bill Clinton in both of his elections, and youth-oriented political and voting organizations like Rock The Vote and MoveOn.org have somehow made it through the dense wall we have constructed around ourselves. When it comes to political awareness, we turn to celebrities and musicians to feed us opinions, which we either dispute or swallow without question.

This year, that's changing. The number of projected voters between ages 18 and 24 is through the roof, and this time we're making our own decisions. What happened to the slacking, stupid and apathetic youngsters of only a few years ago?

I'll tell you what happened. Those slackers were flipping through the channels when they saw the Twin Towers fall. They were sipping Coke and eating a sandwich when we declared war in Iraq. They were searching the classifieds for jobs when reports of sky-high unemployment and a declining economy were broadcast over the airwaves.

There is no way to understate the importance of voting; it's not just a way to thumb our noses at the older, doubting generations, but also a way to make sure that our country, our democracy continues to be one that is "of the people, for the people and by the people." We are living on the edge of our own future, and this time we have a hand in deciding where it goes. No matter who you vote for, your presence in the voting booth is all that matters. So honk your horn if you see a college student at the polls. Then ask yourself, have you voted yet today?