There are many things in this world, let alone this nation that divide us.

As much as we are exposed to the chant “united we stand, divided we fall,” I tend to believe that we stand divided, and we’ll always remain that way until the end of time.

One of the greatest things that divide us in America is political party affiliation.

Last school year I would have told you that the Democratic Party was the lesser of the two main party evils, but now I have a new outlook on politics. As the former Vice President of College Democrats, I learned more about the party than I had ever known.

There are differences between Democrats and Republicans, but in the end there are more similarities. I feel like there is no party for which anyone would agree with everything that party does.

There are many college students who don’t know enough about either party to make a solid decision on what party, if any, they want to belong to. That is the very reason why college students are a target for the presidential candidates.

College students have a tendency not to vote and it’s tough to figure out ways to get us to. Maybe it’s just a lack of caring on our parts.

There are many students who have a party allegiance but only claim that party because their parents chose that party. These students don’t really know the issues for themselves.

I’ve noticed that the main issue that tends to separate Democrats from Republicans is abortion.

Whether you’re pro-life, pro-choice, or no opinion, it doesn’t mean you have to stick to the traditional beliefs of each party. That’s one of the valuable lessons I learned last year.

I got sick of people categorizing me because I considered myself a Democrat. It’s too easy to do but I did have an understanding of why it was happening so much.

In hearing I was a Democrat people automatically assumed I was pro-choice and favored a large government.

Now that I don’t claim to be a Democrat, it’s not easy to be categorized.

But just because I have no party allegiance doesn’t mean I won’t vote. Voting is still very important.

Every vote counts and though I’m not a Democrat or Republican, I think voting independent is a waste of a vote. These candidates never win.

I’m sure many people don’t feel like they are wasting a vote though. All they are really doing is hurting candidates’, usually a Democrats, chances of winning the election.

There are definitely trends that can easily be observed if you watch each party. Minorities, including women, tend to vote Democrat and upper-middle-class to upper-class white males tend to vote Republican.

The Democrats can’t win an election without the black vote like the Republicans can’t win without the support of the southern states.

No trend lasts forever that’s why it’s called a trend. Things could very well change tomorrow.

This year’s election is crucial, especially in Ohio.

A presidential candidate has to win the state of Ohio to win the election because no presidential candidate has ever won the presidency without winning Ohio.

We are the leaders of tomorrow so this election is important to us.

Issues such as affirmative action, gays in the military, drug costs, the war in Iraq, tax cuts, and countless other issues will most likely affect us later, if they aren’t already facing us.

The right to vote is a right that many of us have but choose not to use.

Together, if we vote, we can change the way elections swing every time one rolls around.