It is election day and all the flags are flying. People are walking toward the Town Hall with intent, purposeful expressions on their faces, determined to help elect the person they believe will best serve and protect their country.

This image -- a seemingly utopian vision of democracy -- was the dream our American forefathers fought to make a reality. The modern reality, however, is much different.

More votes were cast in last season's finals of the "American Idol" competition than were cast for George Bush in 2004. The American population is beginning to regard voting as a nuisance, something inconvenient in their everyday lives. They no longer believe that their little vote will make a difference: "It's not like I can do anything about it. I mean, what is one vote really going to do?"

In fact, one vote can change the outcome of the election; one vote can make the difference between a Machiavellian president, and one who sees the people's needs.

Every person, every single one, can make a difference in this country, but only if they can be heard. Voting is the loudest way in which we can trumpet our needs, our beliefs and our values. If we refuse to vote, we refuse to care, and not caring is a shameless act of betrayal
and passive submission. By disengaging, we relinquish our power in the electoral process, leaving the fate of our nation in the hands of a few.

We each have an opportunity and a responsibility to engage in the creation of our government, not only for ourselves but also for those who come after us.

When we look back at our nation through the windows of time, we want to be able to say with pride and a sense of fulfillment that it was our choices and our decisions that have shaped the growth and development of our country.

-- Noah S. Gray is a 16-year-old sophomore from Woodstock Union High School in Woodstock, Vt. Noah's many interests include political history and writing, and he's looking forward to voting -- in 2008.

Noah's editorial was originally submitted to and published by the Young Writers Project (http://www.youngwritersproject.org), a unique collaboration of students, teachers and professional writers in Vermont. The Project publishes a weekly page in five daily newspapers with student writing and tips on writing.