Vote

"Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good: 'Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm."
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you're 18 and a registered voter, go and vote. Regardless of what you think about any candidate or issue, do it. If you're not registered, take care of this now rather than later, so you can vote next time.

And, even though it may seem like a pain in the butt, get as much information as you can on those obscure local issues and candidates. Those are the ones that will affect you the most.

Just don't do what I found out last week my father does: vote for candidates in races about which you're totally ignorant based entirely on the sound of a person's name. If you really don't know and can't find out anything about the candidates for an office no matter how hard you try, skip that section of the ballot. It might sound hypocritical of me to say that, but an uninformed vote can be more dangerous than no vote at all. If you don't believe me, look at the strange case of Judge Elizabeth Halverson in Las Vegas.