Even as Nov. 4 approaches and the campaign trail becomes more exciting, deciding which candidate you support can wait, but registering to vote has a quickly approaching deadline.

Delaying voter registration until a candidate appeals to you comes with some risk: your state’s registration deadline may have passed when you decide and then wish to register.

Both Nebraska and Iowa’s deadlines are Oct. 24. We may procrastinate as college students, but as voters, time is running out.

This is one election we do not want to miss.

The recent Gallop poll shows that Obama and McCain stand in a dead tie, with Obama leading McCain within the margin of error. This is one election where it may come down to a knife-edge vote.

More importantly, this year’s voter registration numbers are breaking all previous records in the primaries, especially in youth (18-29 yearolds) participation.

We have begun carving a niche for ourselves in the electorate – let’s not mess this up. Young voters can become a political force.

If we can keep voting and participating in the election process, politicians will respond to the youth demographic. Hence, voting does deliver tangible benefits, but these benefits come later in time.

Registering to vote can be quite easy if you follow these three examples. To make things simple, you can even use your Creighton mailing address.

First, go to www.rockthevote.org, and click “register to vote.” You will be asked to give some basic information, and then the group will send you a registration card along with the address to which it should be returned.

Second, just print off a Nebraska’s voter registration form. This form is available at creightonian.com/Opinion in a PDF document.

Complete the form and simply mail it to Douglas County Election Official at 225 N. 115th Street, Omaha, NE 68154.

Third, if you don’t want to pay for postage or if you want someone to walk you through the process, go to any department of motor vehicles, military recruitment or public assistance office and turn in the application by hand.

The closest DMV location is located at 1819 Farnam Street.

These three ways of registering to vote are simple and do not require much time or energy. Even if none of the candidates seem appealing, registering to vote provides the foundation for our voice to be heard and will allow us to participate in this historical election.