In this less-than-sexy mid-term election, student votes might be more important than ever. Our generation can shift the weight of the electorate, and we hope it will.

Two years ago, we watched students on this campus work their butts off to get people to vote. And they did. College students turned themselves into a big voice in that election and helped elect President Barack Obama.

Obama has fallen slightly from 18- to 24-year-olds’ favor, according to an Associated Press-mtvU poll, and with it the extreme excitement about voting. But politicians and analysts are still waiting to see whether college students will turn out to shift the results like they did two years ago.

It would be disappointing if we disappoint.

The editorial board endorsed Democratic candidates in this election cycle — Gov. Ted Strickland most heartily. If college students, a strong liberal bloc, turn out in the kind of numbers that streamed to polling places in 2008, we can re-elect Strickland and help to keep Democratic control of Congress.

But this is about more than supporting your team. This isn’t about partisan politics and picking sides. This is about your interests.

While gubernatorial candidate John Kasich has put forward no solutions for keeping higher-education costs down, Strickland has frozen and capped tuition freezes during his three years in office.

The slim lead Kasich enjoys could be smashed to pieces by a high student turnout.

Beyond getting the people we support elected, a high student turnout could change the way people think about our generation.

Democrat and Republican students alike were excited two years ago; it was an exciting race, so it was easy. This year isn’t nearly as sexy: The major Ohio candidates are old and white and kind of boring. If 50 percent of people under 30 vote on Tuesday (like they did in 2008), then we must really care.

Anything much less, and people will continue to think we don’t.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.