Tuesday, Nov. 8, is election day and an opportunity for every registered voter to cast a ballot.

Three days later will be Veterans Day, a time for us to pay our respects to those who have served. What better way to honor veterans than by exercising the right to vote? There are service members who gave their lives so that we might enjoy that freedom.

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote in 1920, ending almost a century of protest. Women were harassed and sometimes jailed for standing up for themselves. What better way to honor our foremothers than to exercise the right to vote?

All persons held as slaves were declared free when the 13th Amendment passed in 1865, and granted citizenship when the 14th Amendment passed in 1868. Finally, the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870 granted African American men the right to vote. But it wasn’t until the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that some remaining deterrents to exercising the right to vote were struck down. Knowing the risks people have taken in the past to vote in an election, how can we not feel a duty to exercise that right? It doesn’t require an act of bravery.

The Indian Citizenship Act was signed in 1924, universally granting citizenship to Native Americans, but some states continued to bar Native Americans from voting for decades. The right to vote is important for giving everyone a voice.

The Constitution and the laws of the United States guarantee every adult citizen in this country the right to vote. But other laws impose voting restrictions that sometimes stop eligible people from getting out and voting. Don’t expect our politicians to care if Americans have a say in their government if we ourselves can’t be bothered to vote – even when it is easy to do.

If you haven’t already voted, election day is Tuesday, Nov. 8. You’ll have an extra hour of sleep available between now and then, so turn back those clocks before you go to bed Saturday and don’t forget to vote!