Each year a few brave students step up and begin their campaigns toward being the next president of the Government of the Student Body. Many of these candidates, along with their running mates, have spent weeks if not months preparing their platforms for what they hope to accomplish as the next leaders of the student body.

Just this past week, senior Hillary Kletscher, sophomore Khayree Fitten and freshman Richard Martinez announced they would be running for the coveted position that comes with a great deal of responsibilities. As the year continues, they will voice their opinions on student issues and explain how they will work to make life better for the student body in the coming year.

Unfortunately, many students will not take the time to get to know these candidates or even vote on election day. This is an opportunity for students to speak up and tell these candidates what matters to them when it comes to the Iowa State community. It’s an opportunity for students to be part of the political process.

Anyone of these candidates could be the future president who speaks on your behalf when it comes to student policies, student fees, tuition, funding for clubs and organizations and acts as your voice at the Iowa Legislature, with the Iowa Board of Regents and with the Iowa State administration. Whenever someone will be representing you and acting as your voice, it is paramount that you know if you agree with what they will be saying.

Politics begin locally and Iowa State’s student GSB leaders could easily be major political leaders in the future. Everyone has to start somewhere, and this is an excellent time for these candidates to learn to be leaders, but also for the student body to learn to be an informed community.

Studying these candidates and learning what they stand for when it comes to the Iowa State community is not difficult. Both Kletscher and Fitten have Facebook pages dedicated to their campaigns, as well as websites.

The election process will see several debates between the candidates in the coming months. The vice presidential candidates, senior Michael Hoefer running alongside Kletscher, and junior Gabriel Walsh running with Fitten [Marinez running mate is still unknown], will face off in a debate Feb. 17. The presidential candidates will then follow with a debate Feb. 27.

All students will have the opportunity to cast their votes on March 4 and 5.

All three candidates, being current students, can be reached through email and around campus. Don’t be afraid to approach them and start a conversation about where they see the future of the student body. Doing this can help you grow as a constituent, and hopefully be more apt to stay informed in city, state and federal elections in the future.

As students of the Iowa State community, decisions being made about the student body should concern and interest you. You might even discover that you want to step up and act as a representative of the student body in the future. With the elections just getting started, there is still an ample amount of time to add your voice to the GSB election process.