Every year, a group of students at my school puts together a Student Justice Teach In, affectionately known as the SJTI. This event lasts a full school day and is exactly what it sounds like, a day devoted to teaching and learning about a specific aspect of justice. This year, the topic was violence. This topic was selected roughly a year ago. The leaders had no idea of the horrific acts of violence that would occur before the SJTI this year.

On February 14, an 18 year-old man brought an AR-15 into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and killed 14 students and three faculty members. The day before the SJTI was the one month anniversary of the shooting, and I chose to participate in a prayer service and walkout in the morning. Hundreds of thousands of students at over 3,000 schools walked out along with us.

The following day, at the SJTI, I learned a lot about violence. But, most impactful was the idea that all violence, whether it is physical, social, or emotional, stems from a mindset that seperates the world into “us” and “them.” Although, at first glance, this seemed like a huge and deep rooted change to make, it actually gave me hope. If we, as a society, can address this mindset, then it might be possible to stop the core cause of violence, rather than reactively addressing violence when it crops up. It will require more effort to change our mindsets than simply reacting to specific instances of violence. Addressing violence on a reactionary basis will never be enough to stop all violence. It is critical that we look at the bigger picture when we address this issue.

I believe that a change in mindset will be the most effective way to combat violence. But, how can we be expected to change the way we think about the people around us if our representatives keep thinking in the same old “us versus them” way? How can we change the political paradigm for our good?

We have to remember that our government exists to serve us, and the people who work there do so because we elected them, or someone who we elected appointed them. By design, our government gives us a ton of power, but only if use it. Our power is in our voices and our votes.

Even if there isn’t a presidential election, there are elections for local, state, and federal seats every year. The representatives who are chosen in these smaller elections are extremely important. Representatives in the State Legislature can enact regulations that you believe should be in place at a federal level. Mayors can adjust parking permitting laws that have a huge effect on your daily life. These down-ballot races are as important as the more publicized presidential elections.

By focusing so much on the presidential elections, we forget about the equally important local representatives who determine the laws, regulations, and codes that we all live by. And, if there is a local, state, or federal representative with whom you have a moral issue, the ballot box is the best place to make your voice heard.

Voting is the small nuisance that defines our democracy. It is a hassle to have to take time out of your day to go somewhere and decide who will be the best person to represent you. But, if we give up our votes, we are ceding our power to anyone who can be bothered to go to a poll.