The September Primary is right around the corner, and that means crunch time for anyone on the ballot vying to keep or secure public office.

You will see volunteers handing out literature of smiley politicos attempting to get you on their side. They’ll appear at festivals, street corners, or your social media feed. They will do everything they can to get you to vote.

But as the years go on, drawing voters to the polls has become a tough sell. Apathy mixed with busy schedules and bad experience at prior elections are enough to keep the regular public from performing a civic duty that’s been fought for and sacrificed by our nation’s military, not to mention Women’s Suffrage.

What gets lost throughout the political season is how important you are. Let’s face it—without you, a lawmaker cannot ascend to public office. That happens at your local polling site. Whether darkening a circle, checking a box, punching a button, or pulling a lever, voting is a practice that involves you and you alone. It’s also a practice barely shared around the world. We should consider ourselves lucky.

But if recent history has taught us anything it’s that registered voters across the Bronx will still stay home, despite pleas from some politicians to exercise their vote. Bronx voters barely made noise during the presidential election, tying with Brooklyn with 58 percent of registered voters going to the polls, according to the New York City Board of Elections’ annual report for 2016. For a highly contested race between President Donald Trump and rival Hillary Clinton, the turnout was poor.

We have to do better, otherwise we could be left with do-nothing politicians who want the title and none of the responsibilities. In some parts of the Bronx that practice remains so, and you, the constituent, suffer. Don’t expect that do-nothing politician to get back to you, hold regular office hours to fix that quality of life grievance or even speak on your behalf. Expect an automated message and a hope that they’ll get back to you. That’s unacceptable.

Remember, politicians care about you more if you vote and pay attention. In some sense, governments should fear their constituents because it’s the constituents who have the power to boot them out of office. Many will just be petrified to simply let you do that.

So, on Sept. 13, take an hour before or after work to go out and vote in your local election. And come there prepared. Take a half hour to pore over the positions of those who are running for office. The New York City Board of Elections has a breakdown of the candidates and where they stand issues, though as of press time that booklet is yet to be uploaded.

If you don’t know where to vote, but are registered, the New York City Board of Elections has this website that can point you in the right direction: https://nyc.pollsitelocator.com/search.

The power of voting appears to have been lost in the last few years. The outlook on this civic act is lost, guided largely by shenanigans happening in Washington, D.C. Still, give voting a chance.