With the governor’s race fast approaching, CSUN students cannot wait for politicians to approach us about issues concerning unemployment, healthcare, increased fees and limited seats in classrooms because our issues may fall by the wayside.

We have to be proactive and make politicians aware of students’ financial, educational and employment struggles by engaging in political discussions about the candidates and being informed about the voting process. It is our social responsibility and our right to make politicians care about us.

This summer, we students had the unfortunate task of monitoring our CSUN email accounts, only to receive a dreaded announcement that our student fees had increased.

I was livid and offended because I had to readjust my budget to make my pennies stretch even further than I had expected, which forced me to look inside myself and ask the question: How important is it for me to buy books this semester?

As a 33-year-old, I had to borrow money from my mother, and that was a humbling experience.

But here is where it gets tricky; I didn’t dig deeper to see what factors played a role in my new college bill. I didn’t create a platform for my opposition to raising tuition. My silence gave them the OK to say this CSUN student is on board.

This is not what college students should do about any issues concerning their livelihood during and after college. We should not roll over and play dead when it comes to our future.

We must move beyond the sidelines of politics and push our agenda to the top of their list by making our voices loud and clear. Actions such as volunteering with campaigns, watching debates or updating student voter registration are a good place to start, especially in a campus setting where we have a good chance of being effective due to a large student population.

Whomever you decide to vote for is your business, but I challenge you to do your research and make an intelligent decision about who you will allow to lead the state for the next four years.

Let us force ourselves into action by questioning everything, demanding answers from government decision makers and holding them accountable.

I recognize some students are voting for the first time this November, and I hope it is not the last.

I remember how much pride I felt when I voted for the first time. I was the only person I saw who walked around all day with my “I voted” sticker on my shirt. The feeling I had was priceless.

I felt as if only my vote determined who won or changed the outcome of the race, and for that I was proud.

With that said, let me provide you the basic requirements for getting registered to vote.

The voting process is simple. There are five requirements to register to vote:

• 18-years-old on or before the election

• A citizen of the United States

•  A resident of California

• You are not in jail or on parole for a felony conviction

•  A court hasn’t judged you to be mentally incompetent