In the past several years, young people have driven major movements for social and political change: we declared that Time’s Up, we showed up for the Women’s March in masses, and we led the protests in Ferguson and Baltimore. This week, we walked out and said #NeverAgain.

In the Republican primaries for the 2016 presidential election, we broke youth participation records in close to 20 states. In the Democratic primaries, almost two million of us voted for Bernie Sanders; he received more votes from young people than all of the other Republican and Democratic candidates received combined. The moment that Donald Trump was ultimately elected as president has been characterized as pivotal for many young people on both sides of the aisle.

We are not a politically apathetic generation. But, we are still not doing enough at the voting booths. In the 2016 presidential election, 46.1 percent of 18 to 29 year-olds voted, according to the United States Census Bureau. The Census Bureau also found that only 19.2 percent of 18 to 29 year-olds in the Illinois 9th Congressional District and only 19.7 percent of 18 to 29 year-olds in the Illinois 17th Congressional District vote.

One explanation for such low voter turnout, often spouted by Gen X-ers and Baby Boomers, is that young people are simply lazy. Older Americans presume that we do not care about the future of our country.

But, many of us do not vote because we are disillusioned by the unresponsiveness of American government. We are put off by the allegations of sexual assault, the corruption, and the disingenuousness of politicians. But we only enable the entrenchment of bad politics when we choose to sit out rather than actively oppose them.

There is also a misconception that an individual vote does not matter. The argument can be made that the electoral college, not individuals, determine presidential elections. But, local elections come down to close to one hundred votes. Local elections, for everyone from school board officers to state senators, also directly affect our lives in ways that federal elections do not. These are the officials who allocate spending for public schools, who pass or block gun control laws, and who draw borders of congressional districts. The most effective and continuous action often begins at the lowest level, and we get a say in the direction of that action.

According to state law, to vote, a person must be a United States citizen who has resided in Illinois for 30 days prior to Election Day. He or she must also be 18 by Election Day; a 17 year-old may vote in the primary election if he or she will be 18 by Election Day. In Illinois, a person can register to vote online, by mail, or in person. Students who are now applying or will soon apply for a driver’s license can also register to vote at the DMV. The primary election for local and state seats is on Mar. 20, and Early Voting is ongoing.

We have not only a right, but a duty to decide what changes we wish to see, and then to fight for those changes—both on the streets and in the voting booths.