Over the past couple weeks, Point Park students have been asked a single question with almost maddening regularity: Are you registered to vote?

The question’s frequency might feel maddening, but there’s no reason to get angry at the people asking it. They’re doing important work, and they’re insistent because it’s important that you register.

According to RealClear Politics’ polling data, Hillary Clinton was leading Donald Trump by 3.3 points on Monday. That’s a tight race in a state with 20 crucial electoral votes, a state in which we’re currently attending school.

Whether you want Clinton to strengthen her lead, Trump to catch up or a third-party candidate to get enough momentum to affect policy, your most direct way to shape the country’s politics is to vote.

It’s an avenue that not enough people are taking advantage of. According to U.S. Census data from the 2014 election, 59.3 percent of people eligible to vote are registered. Only 38.5 percent voted in 2014.

The numbers get worse when they’re broken up by age. A mere 39.1 percent of eligible voters age 18-24 were registered to vote in 2014, and 15.6 percent voted in the 2014 election.

We are being targeted on campus for a reason. We’re being asked if we’re registered to vote because there’s a statistically decent chance, as a group on a college campus, that we’re not.

Don’t get angry at people who only want to help you make your voice heard. Get angry at your friends who aren’t registered to vote. Get angry at the apathetic, those who choose to critique a system without making any meaningful effort to change it.

There’s no way to exist outside of politics and policy. They affect everyone. Not voting or registering to vote only takes away your own voice.

The deadline in Pennsylvania to register to vote or change the address of your registration is Oct. 11. Registering with the address you use at Point Park ensures that you’ll be able to vote in the most convenient way possible. You can do it online, even via text, and the process takes only a few minutes.

It only takes a few minutes to exercise one of your most important and sacred rights as a participant in democracy. Doesn’t sound like such a bad deal, does it?