Editor’s Note: This column was submitted to the Texan by a member of the UT community.

52,384 students in a city of less than a million. That number may seem insignificant, but when City Council races only see about 30,000 total votes on average, and only about two thirds of the city’s registered voters participate in mayoral races, your vote as a University of Texas student carries immense weight. To put it simply, if all of the students at UT were registered and went out to vote, we could be the sole determinants of who gets elected in Austin. 

As housing rates in West Campus are constantly rising, public transportation is failing students, and minimum wage stays at a constant $7.25, students are persistently being disenfranchised by individuals in the Texas government. All of these inconveniences that we, as students, deal with everyday can be directly linked to our City Council, mayor, and the Texas Legislature. 

Yet it feels like we, as students, have so very little say in and control over what happens in our government. Furthermore, we are a diverse campus. Over half of our student body is comprised of non-white individuals and women, respectively. However, about 61% of the Texas Legislature is composed of white people, and only 27% of the members are women. That is not representative of our University, Austin or Texas as a whole. 

However, we are seeing more representative officials being elected into office across the United States. For example, in Alaska, the first Alaskan Native congresswoman, Mary Peltola, was elected into the U.S. House this past August. Similarly, Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender state senator, was elected into office in November 2020. 

There are many reasons why diverse politicians are running for office and winning elections, but a main factor is that younger generations of voters like ourselves have more equitable perspectives on politics. We want to see changes made that benefit ourselves, instead of only the top 1% of the U.S. population, and we can achieve that with our vote. 

Lastly, it feels like every day there is a new Earth-shattering policy that is passed or revoked, that sends shockwaves through communities. There are people on all levels of government who are using their power to push an extremist agenda. That is why this specific midterm election is so important; the result will determine the fate of many Texans’ individual liberties. If you care about health care accessibility, sexual and racial equality and/or eliminating voter suppression, I cannot scream it any louder: go out and VOTE. 

With that being said, early voting is happening from Oct. 24 to Nov. 4, and Election Day is Nov. 8. If you do not want to have to wait in long lines, make a plan to vote early! If what starts here truly does change the world, we must use our privilege to vote and kickstart changes in policies that will lead to a more equitable future for everyone. 

Albini is a psychology sophomore with a certificate in computer science from Dripping Springs, Texas. She is the president of Students for Zo and Longhorn Progressives.