By June 30, 2015, over 400 people had announced their campaign for president, but very few will be acknowledged. This is not always because the campaign is too expensive, but rather because they are knocked out during the primaries.

The primaries are the preliminary elections which narrow down the number of candidates running for president. United States citizens are led to think that they are the ones ultimately electing their president in the general election, but it’s quite the contrary; the representatives of the state typically make the final decision on who will represent the U.S.. Citizens’ votes only have a one in sixty million chance of being the deciding factor in an election. Despite this, U.S. citizens can have a large impact by voting in the primaries.

Senior Emily Arnold says, “Many citizens are under the impression primaries are not important to the general election which is incorrect. Primaries solidify your personal views to confirm the candidates for the general election.”

If someone is vying for a candidate to win the presidential election, they need to make themselves heard in the primaries. Whether they want Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, or Ben Carson in office does not matter; if they want to see their candidate in the formal election they need to vote for them in the primaries. The primaries are the sole decider of who will be in the general election. This is where the people can find their voice and chose their candidates. This is the single most important vote one can cast.

Many states, including Florida, use primaries as a way of choosing a presidential candidate, but some states hold caucuses instead. In these caucuses, the state’s delegates decide on which candidate would best represent the interests of the state; voters registered with the caucuses’ party may attend. Caucuses are becoming a less popular form of electing presidents.

Junior Jimmy Qin says, “It gives less important candidates a good chance to get attention so they have a better chance next election.”

The most popular candidates are recognized on the voting ballot during the primaries; less popular candidates are generally written onto the ballot in a “write-in” space.  Voters can only vote within their party during a closed primary, which makes it difficult for those who support a candidate who does not identify with the voters’ registered party. Open primaries allows one to vote outside their party.

Florida’s primaries will be held on March 15, 2016. Citizens can register for the election at their local tax collector’s office or online.

If citizens continue to disregard the primaries as an unimportant event, they will never see their candidate in the general election. Participating in the primaries is critical to the survival of any candidate in the presidential election and a crucial part of the voting process. If you would like to see your presidential candidate thrive this election season, you need to vote in the U.S. primaries.