According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, Millennial voters, those born between the mid-1970s and the mid-1990s, are still supporting President Barack Obama in the upcoming election, but the enthusiasm and spirit of the 2008 election is fading.

It seems as though voters recognize Obama as the best choice, but it's not a choice they're particularly thrilled about making.

The scariest thing is that according to the Pew data, only 69 percent of those polled said they cared who won the presidency, as compared to the 81 percent who said they cared in 2007.

While it may seem like many voters are still concerned about the election, it's a 12- percent decrease in only four years.

This significant of a decline in such a short period of time is scary.

The survey also brings up a partisan gap between those interested in the campaign and those not: Republicans seem to be watching the race unfurl with rapt attention, while Democrats, particularly young Democrats, have been left out of the excitement.

The possible reasons the survey cites for this drop among Democrats is due to the absence of a Democratic primary and the fact that many Democratic voters feel like Obama has not brought the change he promised during his campaign.

Along with the Pew's data that says Democrats are disappointed with Obama's performance, I think a large number of people are just frustrated with politics in general. I understand being frustrated with the government because of the partisan politics and lack of collaboration in Washington, D.C.

However, that doesn't mean people should back away from the political process in general.

Partisan politics may not be working, but by turning away from the system in general, we lose our ability to make any difference in politics.

We need to believe that the basis for our political process is, at least in some way, connected to the will of the people.

Instead of removing ourselves from politics because we don't approve of the system, we should instead try and change the system by voting for people we feel can bring the change we want.

The outcome of this election especially affects the younger voters; we are the ones who are going to have to deal with an environment that has been destroyed by climate change or with the consequences of a candidate like Rick Perry, who believes social security is a Ponzi scheme.

This means that Perry would like to cut programs like disability insurance, unemployment benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, old age insurance—programs that were all put into place as a kind of insurance policy if we, as Americans, ever find ourselves getting down on our luck.

Their place is to ensure that Americans will still be able to survive in case anything ever happens. What kind of future are we looking at without that insurance?

The Pew survey tries to explain this decrease as the post-Bush-era aftermath. Michael Dimock, an associate director of Pew, told The Huffington Post, "A lot of the energy in 2008 was not due to Obama; it was due to George W. Bush." Dimock is saying that the reason there was such a fervor in the last election was not because Obama brought something particularly special, but because Bush's failure brought people together to try. Voters were inspired to get up and create change by electing a new president.

Because Obama doesn't have a Bush for comparison, many of the voters have lost their interest because they are not as riled up about this year's election as they were about changing the nature of government post-Bush.

By being more energetic and enthusiastic about the process, we will feel, once again, that we will be able to make a difference. As such, this will make us more likely to campaign for a candidate and to understand the difference that they can make for our country when they're in office.

I understand frustration, but I don't understand completely giving up by saying the voters don't care who gets the White House. It's natural to feel like Washington isn't responding to the concerns of the voters, but the reaction should not be indifference.

Instead of backing away from politics, people need to protect what they have and the gains we have made through Obama's presidency.

Instead of saying that they're indifferent and that they don't really care about the presidential race, young Democrats should fight to ensure that the Republicans, in turn, don't win the race.

While not every Millennial is a Democrat, the biggest drop in excitement has been among young Democrats. Young Republicans do have a chance to get involved with this election cycle because they are in the midst of presidential primaries.

However, the partisan gap does not negate the age gap amongst voters. If Millennials are, in general, less interested than they have been in the past and in comparison to older voters (older republicans, especially, have actually seen a spike in interest and excitement), then this is something characteristic about our generation. We have become less engaged in politics, without realizing the actual effects of this indifference.

No matter what your political stance is, it's so important to have a voice in the political process because those in office are the ones who determine the nature and extent of the government's influence in our lives. We are directly impacted by the actions of the Federal government.

Thus, it is so desperately important that we ensure enthusiasm by voters our age, because we are the generation of voters with the most at stake right now—we will have to deal with the long-term consequences.

Now, Obama does still have a majority with the Millennial voters, but the decrease in enthusiasm is symptomatic of the way many young voters feel: They're numb toward the concerns of Washington because they feel like there is nothing good out there.

Instead of taking the fatalistic approach, we have to instead make our voices heard; make sure that we go out there with enthusiasm and create a system in Washington that we know will be responsive to the needs of our generation.