You might have seen the wonderful viral video circulating the interwebs encouraging citizens to vote and/or register to vote. This video features all of your favorite celebrities, and regular people mixed in, to parody those campaign commercials we all see. However, perhaps more importantly, it was created to not only start the necessary conversation of voting, but to continue the conversation on educating the nation about voting, as well as voting intelligently and logically.

On September 21, Joss Whedon and his “new short form digital production company dedicated to the idea that voting is necessary and heroic” uploaded a short 3-minute video. This video was accompanied by this message: “It’s just a no-brainer, the election is far too IMPORTANT for you to think of November 8 as any other day. When you step into that voting booth, make your mark and make it count!” This video has one simple message: your vote as a citizen counts! The video stresses how important we all are and how important our votes are. We all must go out and vote as citizens, and if you’re aren’t registered to vote, please visit savetheday.vote to register.

Voting is an issue that truly matters. Furthermore, as many people in the video declare, “You only truly get this many famous people together if the issue is one that truly matters to all of us.” The video continues to explain that we all have the power to stop “a disease, or ecological crisis, or a racist, abusive coward who could permanently damage the fabric of our society.” While it isn’t mentioned who this so-called “racist, abusive coward” is, it is implied that it’s Donald Trump. As many in the video point out, “Do we really want to give nuclear weapons to a man whose signature move is firing things?” Okay, so while this video is adamantly against Donald Trump, this video didn’t specifically come out and say “I’m With Her.” It merely stated that voting is our right, and we should really think long and hard about who we vote for. Vis-a-vis, we have some important decisions to make.

Savetheday.vote released this video as a pro-voting crusade. Voting is not something to be taken likely. Many celebrities exclaimed in the video, “We can end this nightmare before it begins. We can save the day!” This issue of voting, and who to vote for, is one that will take all of us as a nation. Our vote matters; all of our votes matter. This video also points out this vote on November 8 isn’t just about the presidency. Although that is an important decision to make, our vote matters for issues concerning the Senate, the house, our local officials, and immigration, as well as student debt, common-sense gun laws, and finally, the Supreme Court. “This is not just an election. It’s a tipping point for the country, for the world, for your world.”

You have probably heard all the excuses in the book as to why people aren’t voting and/or they are voting for Donald Trump/other third party candidates. These excuses probably sound something like, “My state is historically a red state, what good would my vote do?” Or perhaps, “My vote doesn’t count, all the real action happens in the electoral college.” And the age-old favorite, “I’m making a statement by not voting.” Well, savetheday.vote and all those celebrities/people in the video, as well as Joss Whedon, will not accept those excuses!

First, just because your state historically votes Democrat or Republican doesn’t mean your vote doesn’t count. Second, just because we currently have a somewhat outdated system doesn’t mean you should cast aside your vote and fall back on the electoral college. You still need to vote, because guess what? When you vote, you also vote in electors who get the final say in which candidate wins your state. The more states your candidate wins, the greater chance they have of winning the whole shebang. Last but not least, the notion that you’re making a “statement” by not voting is comical at best, and sad and pathetic at worst. Yeah, you’re making a statement, one that says, ‘I have decided to ignore my right as a citizen in sake of being a rebel.’ You tell those people who constantly declare ‘I’m making a statement by not voting,’ ‘Well I can’t hear it!’ Unless you vote, no real change will be achieved. You not only vote for a commander in chief, you vote for gun laws, education, mayors, and senators to represent you and your beliefs. So regardless, you need to vote. Otherwise, you get zilch to complain about in regards to the political scene in our nation.