The presidential election is not until Nov. 6, but the media has been talking about it for about a year now.

Why should students care eight months in advance?

The Republican primaries are the buzz at the moment. This is when Republican voters choose their candidate to run against the incumbent, Democratic President Barack Obama. These primaries are important in deciding which Republican candidate upholds the ideals of the majority of the Republican Party.

But these elections are important for other parties too, even Democrats.

Only Republicans can vote in the Republican primaries, but anyone registered to vote can vote in the presidential election, regardless of political affiliation or lack thereof. Democrats don’t have to vote for Obama, and Republicans don’t have to vote for the Republican candidate.

Non-Republicans may not have a direct say in who gets chosen in the Republican primaries, but don’t ever think that you can’t influence the vote.

If you are pro-Obama, now is the time to sway Republican voters against their candidates. Republican candidates are currently in the middle of mud slinging, contradicting themselves, and just confusing voters in general. It’s a mass of information and misinformation that is being splayed across the news. If you don’t agree with the Republican candidates, then join the chaos by giving Republicans information about why they should vote for Obama instead.

If you are against Obama, then go out there and make sure that a Republican presidential candidate gets chosen that you approve of. Lobby for your choice. Do your research. Make sure you know the issues, get out there, and make people listen. Don’t just sit at home and hope someone suitable gets chosen to run against Obama. No one wants to make a decision between two disagreeable candidates to run their country.

Most importantly, students can’t let the media splash roll over their shoulders. There’s a reason the media is talking about the elections so often. The person chosen in the elections will run the United States. If you haven’t figured it out, that’s an important job.

Many argue that President of the United States is just a figurehead position, but it’s more than that. The President is not just the face of the United States. His or her opinion makes all the difference. If the President is against gay marriage, then it most likely will not be pushed into law. If the President is for abortion, then he or she will most likely do everything he or she can to keep any laws against it out of Congress.

The President isn’t the end of legislation, and there are ways around him or her, but not many people want to get on the bad side of the President. If the President publicly states an opinion, not many in power are going to go against it. This means that no matter how many people lobby for something or how often, it probably won’t happen during that President’s term.

So don’t ignore the elections, even if you’re not a Republican. Pay attention, get the facts, organize your thoughts, and when Nov. 6 comes around, vote.