Today is the biggest day in what has been one of the longest and most hard fought presidential primary elections in the history of this country. The outcomes of the more than 20 primaries and caucuses taking place today will be analyzed and debated intensely. Winners and losers will be declared by many different people in many different ways today but the real winners this election cycle are the citizens of this great nation.

It has been a long time since Americans have been this engaged in the electoral process. It has been a long time since Americans have been this excited to exercise their individual right to have their voice heard. Voter apathy arises for many reasons but it seems to me the greatest cause of this recent spell of apathy has been an overwhelming sense that government has lost sight of its purpose to serve all the people of this country. For decades now the government has seemed to be much more responsive to the demands of big corporations, lobbyists and resource-rich foreign nations than it has to those of the 47 million Americans who cannot afford health insurance or the 34 million Americans who live in poverty and can no longer afford to climb the rungs up the ladder of the American dream. It is ironic, then, that the administration that is more than partially responsible for pushing Americans out of their political apathy has lifted the art of ignoring popular demand in favor of its own ideas to a glorious new level.

It is thoroughly heartening for my young soul to see America so hopeful about this country's capacity to change because hope means votes. Democracy is the responsibility of every citizen and when we take up that responsibility in mass the everyday American becomes an unstoppable political force. Please join the millions of Americans who will smash voter-turnout records today. Please add your voice to the vast chorus who will cast a ballot or stand and caucus on this historic day for our country.