The election season is over for now. The president has been chosen and all those annoying ads are dying down at long last.

While most of us are happy to finally have the presidential elections over and done with, I think it’s important to keep the political fire burning.

Now that the big hoopla is over, a lot of previously active members in politics will become complacent until the next presidential elections. I for one think that it is imperative for people to stay informed from here on out because there is far more at risk.
After all, the president will be in office for four years.

We should be just as involved if not more now so that we can continue to make politically savvy choices rather than jumping on a bandwagon during election season.

If we don’t remain informed, how are we supposed to pick out other officials? How will we be sure that the claims being stated in the next presidential debate are true

if we are going off what one candidate says?

There is a larger opportunity here for people to keep their information up to date so that we can be a generation that will be active in the government and bring back the meaning of democracy. We are on the cusp of a great political alteration and can be the change we want to see.

Some might think I’m being idealistic, but doesn’t history show that communities with higher involvement in government had more power over the direction of the country? Don’t you think it’s time for us to make a stand, be completely informed by our own research and start making intelligent decisions for the future of our nation?

I encourage each of you to either stay involved or get involved now that you see what your vote can do. Don’t be a bystander. Get into the mix and make a difference.

You are more important than you think, so take a stand, and stay informed.

Reule, a public relations and journalism major from Charlotte, is an opinion writer.