Our generation has not been turning out to vote. Look at the numbers of past elections. About one-third of us turned up for the 2000 elections.

And we are the ones who have to inherit this country. We need to make sure we have a say, not just at the national level, but the local level as well.

Monday's date is an important one: It is the last day for people to register to vote in Pennsylvania.

Voter registration forms are available at a number of locations, including all post offices, Schlow Memorial Library, 118 S. Fraser St., and on the Pennsylvania State Department's Web site, www.dos.state.pa.us/voting.

The Web site offers voters many features, including instructions for filling out applications, forms of identification you'll need when voting and county election office contact information.

For those who are already registered but are unsure of poll locations, contact your county voter information office.

Workers there are helpful people; contact information is available on the state department's site.

There are voter registration drives throughout campus every day run by a number of groups.

Contact any of them with questions or to obtain registration forms, specifically the College Republicans, led by Andy Banducci, and the College Democrats, led by Megan Green.

Party offices are also located downtown: The Centre County Democrats are located at 236 E. Calder Way, and a Republican party office is located at 231 S. Allen St., across from the State College Municipal Building. Any of these groups are available to help you this election year, so use the opportunity. And as far as on-campus groups go, there are too many helping students register to name them all here.

The Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance is running a voter registration drive called "Get Out Her Vote," which is not just geared toward women; so is another campus initiative called P.S.U Vote.

This is all just a very, very small sample of the resources available to help you register to vote this year.

No matter who wins the race Nov. 2, most agree that this will be the most important presidential race of our lifetimes. This may sound like a cop-out, but if you do not vote, you cannot complain about politics after the election.

For a democracy to work, we need everybody to take advantage of his or her voice. It does not matter how jaded you are about the U.S. political climate.

Take advantage of the privilege and duty you have, register to vote, and have your say in this election.

You have no excuse not to.