Politics are scary, and they have become even scarier with certain presidential candidates on the loose. Many of us are afraid to admit it, but at the end of the day we don’t know a thing about politics. In grade school, we vaguely learned about the three branches of government, and if you’re anything like me, you don’t remember most of that stuff. We are told that our vote matters and that we have to use our hypothetical voices, but how effective is voting when we don’t know who and what the heck we’re voting for?

I vote because my ancestors fought for my right to do so. But whenever I step foot onto a voting site, I immediately begin to feel uneducated, inadequate and uninformed. To be completely honest, besides the presidential nominees, I usually don’t know who any of those other guys are. I am so embarrassed by my ignorance that I rush out of the booth, go home and try to forget about the ordeal entirely. I’ve always hesitated to talk to anyone about it because it seems that no one else really knows what they’re doing. Besides, I, a college senior,  should know better! But that’s the thing, most of us don’t know better.

I went to NCVoter.org to get more information on what a ballot looks like. The website is great for lots of other information such as voter history, districts, polling places and precincts. Available on the website was a “Sample Democratic Primary Ballot,” dated for March 15. 

There are 10 sections on the ballot. Nine of these sections represent partisan offices, and one represents a referendum. “Partisan” means a member of a particular party. The first subgroup represents the nominees for Presidential Preference. The second subgroup represents the U.S. Senate. Then there is the North Carolina lieutenant governor, North Carolina attorney general, North Carolina commissioner of labor, North Carolina superintendent of public instruction and the North Carolina State Senate District 16, respectively.

The last section of the ballot, or “referendum,” represents a proposed plan of action in which you, the voter, either vote for or against.

I knew 2 out of the 24 names on the ballot, making me a blind voter. The truth is, there are plenty of other things I’d rather do after I finish a long day of classes besides looking up the other 22 names on that ballot, but that is not an excuse for being an uninformed voter.

Tuesday, March 15 represents the day that North Carolina voters will vote in the presidential primary and state primary election. That day is swiftly approaching. If you don’t recognize any of the names on that ballot or the duties associated with such positions in office, it may be worth looking into over spring break. Find these candidates on Twitter. Ask them questions if you can. And if you’re still struggling to figure it all out, try visiting the political science department — someone may be able to break things down into layman’s terms.