A few weeks ago, America lost a dear friend.

I am referring, of course, to the loss of Jon Stewart as host of “The Daily Show.” This piece isn’t to eulogize the program that became a hallmark of political satire; that was done enough times in the weeks leading up to his final show. Rather, it’s to discuss the impact the show could, and should, have on the 2016 presidential election.

On Stewart’s final show, he left a poignant message: BS is everywhere. Calling out and examining BS for nearly two decades would be an honorable enough mission, but Stewart did something else that made “The Daily Show” incredibly important: He inspired an entire generation of young people to be interested in this country’s political system.

Now, I know anyone would scoff at the idea of anyone receiving all of their news from “The Daily Show,” even Stewart himself, but that isn’t what this is about. Stewart engaged younger people, particular college students (most of whom with their freshly earned right to vote) in a way that had never been done before. People who may have never paid a second of attention to politics were suddenly immersing themselves in it, even if it was just to have an idea of what Jon Stewart might talk about the following evening. It got people to care about their government and how it effects them.

But just because Jon Stewart is gone doesn’t mean this has to end.

We’re approaching yet another presidential election. Maybe the first time you got to vote for president was in 2012, or maybe you’re a freshman and this is will be your first. Either way, the importance of not only voting, but also remaining aware, can’t be understated. There won’t even be any elections for a few months, but politicians are already in full gear trying to get your vote.

Don’t make your vote easy to get.

While this election cycle will no doubt be hilarious, there will be no Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert to put that hilarity into context. So now that’s up to you. When Stewart tells you “BS is everywhere,” what he means is that he wants you to be critical and to think critically. Don’t take anything a candidate says at face value. Look beyond the surface and examine what they’re really saying.

Look at the Trump campaign’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Pretty to the point, but if you look deeper it raises a lot more questions than it answers. Is America not great? When were we great, and when is the exact moment we stopped being great? How do we become great again?

Therein lies the ultimate question, “How?” Not to harp on Trump too much, because he is far from the only candidate with this issue, but it is a question he has failed to answer. There isn’t any sort of policy or direction. Just an empty slogan with nothing to back it up. Yet, that’s what gets on the airwaves, along with short clips of politicians making incredibly vague statements about what is wrong with our country that gets rapturous applause, in or out of context.

So ask these questions. Ask why outlandishness and quick remarks from a rally get more airtime than anyone actually talking about policy, such as Bernie Sanders. Ask why Sanders gets an interview with the New York Times, and the headline reads “Bernie Sanders has heard about that hashtag” and gets asked about his and Hillary Clinton’s hair. These are issues with the political process that turn it almost into a reality show and ignores the weighty issues that are at hand.

So don’t just consume media and politics, be critical of them. It’s what Jon Stewart would have wanted.