The excuses remain the same in almost every election cycle when people say why they did not vote. “Don’t care.” “My vote doesn’t matter.” And the infamous “I didn’t have time.”

None of those excuses hold much water, but the excuse with the most holes in it election after election is “I didn’t have time.” For those in Illinois planning on dishing out that excuse after the election cycle, particularly students, save it because early voting in Illinois opens March 2, leaving no one with any reason not to get out and vote in the 2020 Presidential Primary.

Illinois’ primary will be held on March 17 this year, which means when early voting opens, you will have two whole weeks to plan for a time to get to the polls. There is truly very little reason to not vote in 2020.

Saying you don’t care about politics and that’s why you don’t vote is one thing. You should care, but who is anyone to tell you what you should and should not care about. It feels like beating a dead horse to explain to any adult over the age of 18 why voting is important, so we will not do that here. But what we at The Daily Eastern News would implore you to do in 2020 is vote.

Illinois is giving all of us two entire weeks to vote. The opportunity to participate in democracy is throwing itself in all of our faces, and we need to take advantage of it. Leave the excuses at the door when you leave to go vote.

Also remember, the only time your vote does not count is when you choose not to vote. So, make your vote count and vote.

Votes in this election cycle especially count, particularly if you are voting in the Democratic primary.

There will be many names on the Democratic ballot all competing to get to the 1,991 delegates needed to get the nomination, and thus far, it has been a close race.

To think your vote will not matter in the 2020 election cycle is wholeheartedly foolish.

So, take advantage of early voting and vote in 2020 because your vote counts, too.

The Editorial Staff can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].