“Stop talking about the election. I mean, we’re 15, it’s not like we even have a say.”

That’s what someone said to me the other day while I was having a discussion with a few friends over the previous presidential debate. We all stopped and thought for a moment. While one of responded, I continued to wonder. Why do we bother? Why do we waste our breath and time and energy on elections that we can’t vote in? I had never thought it to be a bad thing. With both of my parents being strong influences, my Mom being a government official herself, I’ve been brought up to question things, and then have a say in them, before finally going out and doing something about it, rather than waiting for someone else to stir the pot for me. I’ve always been told that taking notice and discussing things such as government at a young age is a wonderful thing. This is one reason why I’ve been paying very close attention to this year’s presidential election.

I remember going to Obama’s inauguration after being elected in ’08. I was thrilled that a Democrat had been elected after Bush’s 8 year term; it was certainly a breath of fresh air for my parents. Through his first term I thought Obama had done what he needed to after where we were left in ’08. The country on the verge of another economic depression, fighting in two wars, banks closing left and right, the automobile industry collapsing, and the country simply a mess. Obama was the glue, putting all the broken pieces back together. Up until this year, I was sure that he would serve another term.

At the RNC and the DNC, my hopes held strong after hearing both candidates’ acceptance speeches. To me, Mitt Romney’s speech was bland and fake. He was (and always has been to me) some one speaking for a bunch of old, conservative white men, who in my opinion, have been running this country for far too long. Then there was the President’s speech, which was the opposite. I heard him speaking, not someone else. That speech left me full of hope and so genuinely moved that I had tears in my eyes. President Obama has always made me hopeful, not only for the country’s future, but for my own.

Before the debates, I was excited to see the campaign moving forward (pun intended). In my head there would be an epic battle right then and there between the two, all conveniently on my TV screen. As you may guess, I was very disappointed after that night. Romney sat there and contradicted all of his statements prior to the debate, the entire evening, but Obama let him. That’s what got me the most. Some argue that he just wanted to remain presidential, but the fact of the matter is that he let Romney get away with way too much. That really cost him. If he did what he had to that night, he would have had this election in the bag. A few days later I saw the newest cover of The New Yorker. It was a cartoon of the debate, in which Obama was missing, and Mitt Romney was left arguing with an empty chair.

Throughout the rest of the debates I regained my trust in the President. Especially after the second, which was more what my original debate-fantasy looked like. The third was pretty average. Obama made strong points; Mitt Romney changed his personality yet again. Still though, the polls remained all tied up.

I’m going to be able to vote in the next election, in 2016. By then I’ll be in my second year of college and will be focusing on possible career paths. I want a president now who will be creating jobs so that I might be able to find one after finishing school. I want a president who will lead this country into the future with new renewable energy, improvement of public schools and education, encouraging ideas of marriage equality and fighting for women’s rights. I don’t just want a good place for me, but for those who will be living here in 100 years.

I take my future very seriously, and I think that everyone my age should be thinking about it too. A key factor in my generation having a bright future is having a great leader now.