The weather is great and gas prices are low. It’s one of those days when you wonder when the bottom is finally going to fall out of the fall season.

The autumn colors gave us a few extra weeks, and the pre-winter winds haven’t knocked the red, yellow and brown leaves from the trees just yet. It’s a good time to be alive.

It’s also a good time to make some important decisions about who is going to run our county, our state and our nation. I trust that the decisions we make today in the privacy of the voting booth will bode well for all of those governmental institutions.

I’ve told you many times before in this space that you’ll never get a specific political endorsement from me, other than to say that I hope the most honest people are elected to take over the reins of our government. This has been the only way that democracy has thrived and our way of life has prospered since the American independence of 1776.

In the rawest sense, that freedom has come down to three very basic questions for every American.

Will I be able to provide for me and/or my family?

Will I remain safe as I do so?

How can I further the process to make sure future generations have those same provisions and that same level of security?

When it really comes down to it, am I missing anything in the equation? Take a look at our constitution and all the amendments and you’ll find that nearly everything is in place to answer those same questions.

It’s all about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As a citizen of this country it is your duty to get involved. As a young person your involvement is even more critical.

The following is a portion of a prize-winning essay from the Web site fairvote.org. The writing is from a college student named Leili Rouhi. The essay is titled: "Why We Don’t Vote?"

Political inactivity on the part of young Americans stems from one fundamental source -- a general cynicism of the American political process. This disdain for politics is further perpetuated by a lack of voter education and a needlessly archaic voting procedure that creates barriers to voting where they need not exist. While many of these existing problems can be rectified with relative ease through the implementation of programs such as Internet voting and better voter education, such programs create only a partial solution.

It will take great strides to create a system in which American citizens will be represented in the political process, and only then will young Americans be truly compelled to vote. One way to achieve this goal is through the adoption of a system of proportional representation. This paired with the implementation of Internet voting, increased voter education, and same day voting will ensure a rise in voter turnouts and youth participation in government.

Regardless of the political environment, it is the responsibility of voters to take initiative in becoming politically involved. However, the current electoral system in the United States is not one that fosters voter participation, but instead often discourages voting altogether. This is evidenced through the lackluster voter turnout in the United States, which is amongst the lowest of any democratic nation. While it is convenient to blame this lack of democratic participation on a lazy and apathetic public, the root of the problem lies elsewhere. The current system of winner-take-all elections, strategic gerrymandering, incumbency advantage and governmental unresponsiveness to constituent desires is enough to deter even the most politically conscience person from voting. For many young voters, the realization that their vote is likely to have little impact on the outcome of elections, not surprisingly, prevents them from becoming involved in the electoral process altogether. Only through the removal of these systemic flaws, which cause skepticism about the importance of voting, will voter participation be increased and democracy better achieved.

Here’s one final note from your columnist. By the time you read this you will have already voted or maybe you’ve decided not to vote. I would suggest if it’s not yet 6 p.m., please get in line with your fellow Americans and exercise your right. Your ability to criticize your government anytime over the next two years depends on your action or your inaction.