The scene in Denver at this point is what one may safely deem mass chaos. With the Democratic National Convention now thoroughly kicked off, there are more political nerds descending upon the city of Denver than the entire brain trust of National Public Radio combined.

And this is no joke. The police forces at this “National Security Special Event,” as it has been designated, look like they could take down the mobs of screaming Anderson Cooper fans in one fell swoop. They’ve even got the knee pads and yard-long clubs to prove it.

At the center of all this hype, it’s easy to forget that this screaming mass of politicized people represents what, come election day, is not an overwhelming percentage of Americans. In fact, we have one of the worst turnouts among democratic countries. The brunt of the responsibility? That would be us, the under-30s.

As students with a lot of drinking going on in the non-class time (at least, if you subscribe to our traditional nod to the separation of school and bar), we don’t usually take the time to register in Binghamton, or request an absentee ballot from home.

The time has come.

Whether you like Obama, McCain or you’re still bitter about one of the other candidates, the time has come to get your act together and vote — unless you like Mitt Romney, in which case I heartily urge you to remain at home.

The most interesting thing I have encountered here is the genuine interest shown by delegates, members of the media and even politicians in what I think will happen. In addition to inflating my ego, it really brought home the importance we could have as an age cohort if we only took advantage of our rights. If we voted en masse, it would be a lot harder to continue avoiding the kinds of issues that mean something to us, like the higher education reform that we need so desperately, or whether or not the Social Security we’re paying into will still be around for us when we need it.

I know that there is a lot of crappy MTV for you to watch, but as Nancy Pelosi might say, “Know Your Power.” You may never be the vote that gets to decide an election, but the only way to get noticed is to make yourself heard.

Or to wear a slutty outfit into the convention center. In Minneapolis.