Did you go to pick up a copy of this paper on Wednesday and find the box empty? Well, it wasn't a mistake. We delayed publishing by a day this week to include the election results from the town of Elon. Why? Because local elections matter.

Do you live off campus and walk or bike to class? The town of Elon is responsible for those sidewalks (or lack thereof). Are there potholes on your street that you swerve to avoid? The town's problem. Noise ordinances? The rule that only three people can live in your house? Trash pickup? All controlled by the town.

While it's all well and good to talk about the state of the national economy or international relations, the majority of decisions that directly affect your day-to-day life are made by those who meet every single week literally feet from campus.

For instance, on Tuesday, a proposal about selling liquor by the drink was on the ballot. It passed, so after further legislative steps, like approval by the ABC board. For some students, this could have an impact on how they purchase alcohol within town limits and will certainly affect local businesses like Taphouse and West End.

Now, it's true most Elon students can't vote in the Elon elections, but did you check to see if there were any local elections at home this week? You could have had an impact on the issues that affect your family and friends.

In presidential election years, there are very public voting registration drives. Organizations like Rock the Vote cover Madonna with nothing but a flag and put P. Diddy on MTV wearing a "Vote or Die" T-shirt. But your ability to have your voice heard doesn't just come around every four years. City council, board of aldermen, school board, sheriff, mayor's office, there are countless local elections that need voters just as much as the national level.

As a matter of fact, your vote in local elections goes even farther, because there's less people voting and there's no electoral college that complicates the process. There aren't delegates and a lot of the time, there's no partisan politics in play. There's just people that want to make a difference in their own backyards.

In just one year, Americans will take to the polls and elect governors, senators, representatives, a whole host of other positions and possibly, a new president. So you've got a whole year to get civically minded and carry out one of your most basic rights as a citizen, right?

Well, yes, or you could have voted just this week and really made it count.