Less than a week from today, the world will change. As the last ballots are counted late into the night and throughout the next morning, all will hold their breath for a result that will shake the foundations of what we know and hold dear. This is “the most important election of our lifetime.” The “most important in our nation’s history.” The “most important ever.”

At least, that’s what everyone keeps telling us. Every news channel, commercial, and billboard. But we suspect you’ll wake up to just another Wednesday in Hillsdale.

As students, it’s easy to feel removed from national politics, but we have a civic responsibility as Americans to engage in this election. The Founders designed our system of government with the belief that each generation would act as custodians of democracy, with citizens actively shaping the path of their nation.

Watching the results on Tuesday night — discussing, debating, and perhaps disagreeing — is not only engaging with politics but participating in the legacy left by the Founders. There will be watch parties and excited group chats. There will be Radio Free Hillsdale coverage and instant reactions. There will be empty library tables and neglected homework. 

These things are all good (yes, even the neglected homework every once in a while) and remind us that our participation — whether through a vote, a conversation, or an opinion — upholds the ideals the Founders envisioned. At the same time, the Founders designed a governmental system that couldn’t be drastically altered by the whims and wishes of a single person. It actually seems to be the very thing they were trying to avoid.  

So, for the students of Hillsdale, the morning of Nov. 6 will probably seem remarkably… mundane. 

Another Wednesday spent wishing it was Friday. Another midterm nowhere near the middle of the term that hasn’t been studied for. Another coughing classmate sitting way too close to you. And we have a sneaking suspicion the most important thing about your day will still be Warm Cookie Wednesday.