A 2016 study by WalletHub, a personal finance website, ranked Louisiana as the worst school system in the nation. Education in Louisiana is something people are quick to jump on Twitter or Facebook to rant and argue about, but only action can make a difference.
On Oct. 14, residents of East Baton Rouge Parish will be able to take action and make a difference in local education. Among other elections and proposed amendments, appointed board member Michael Gaudet will face Brian Adams and Belinda Davis in the race for a seat on the EBR School Board representing District Seven.
If you think voting doesn’t do anything, you couldn’t be more wrong. Voting makes your voice heard in your local community and leads to positive changes you can benefit from.
Instead of a scathing Facebook post or witty tweet about how poorly Louisiana schools perform, take your frustration to the voting booth. But first, take it to the internet or the local newspaper to read up on candidates and their proposed solutions. I’m not here to tell you who to vote for because everyone has a different opinion of what needs to happen and the best course of action. That’s the beauty of democracy.
Since 2009, the number of students in Louisiana scoring “mastery” and above on national assessments has increased by 17 percent according to a report by the Louisiana Department of Education. The state was ranked No. 1 in overall growth of fourth-grade reading, and second in overall growth of fourth-grade math. 
We are improving, but we still have a long way to go. Next year, Louisiana will follow suit with most other states and only consider students scoring “mastery” or “advanced” on standardized assessments as proficient. The change in policy will cause district report card scores to go down, since we currently consider students scoring “basic” and above as proficient.
We’re raising the bar for students in the state, so we should raise the bar for ourselves as adults. According to the Louisiana Secretary of State, the statewide turnout for the 2016 Louisiana State Senate runoff election was 29.2 percent. Those numbers are pathetic. 
If we want to see change, we have to make it ourselves. Protesting makes your voice heard, and so does casting a vote.
The reason our elected officials seem disconnected from the average person is because the general populous is not going to the voting polls and choosing leaders they want.
Whether you vote for the Democratic black man, Republican white man or Democratic white woman, it doesn’t matter to me. What matters is voter participation and showing our next generation of leaders, educators and great thinkers we have their best interest in mind.
Students can’t vote for the people making decisions about their school district, but you can, if you’re older than 18 and not a convicted felon. Instead of Twitter fingers, let’s get ballot and research fingers.
Breanna Smith is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.