Tuesday is Election Day, and though I am naturally writing this ahead of the fact, I imagine that it is safe to say that campus is astir with political talk and activity.

Thousands of us will be taking to the polls Tuesday — and skipping class, missing out on study time and taking a couple of hours off from work in order to do so. But many people, students included — call them apathetic, call them marginalized, call them keenly aware of the delusion that is the two-party system — will abstain from exercising what many consider to be a civic duty, especially in this particular election.

On Oct. 17, three students who said they plan to refrain from voting for a Democrat or Republican were featured in a front-page article of The State Press. They labeled themselves as an anarchist and two Libertarians.

The anarchist said that he would not be voting because "political success comes from dividing us." The most popular faction wins, and when it comes into power it neglects the constituents of the opposition as much as it can while still remaining popular.

Both Libertarians originally backed Republican candidate Ron Paul.

But since the collapse of Paul’s campaign, one of them has chosen not to vote and the other said he was considering voting for the Constitution Party candidate, who — and out comes my bias — is not expected to win the election.

These are the people for whom there is no candidate. Instead of compromising, they are opting to stay away from the two major parties, refusing to affirm a process that has produced mediocre candidates each election cycle. While I understand such a sentiment, this article is nevertheless a plea for them to change their minds.

I’m not just some scoundrel Democrat who thinks that more voters means a chance at turning Arizona blue and perhaps swinging the whole election for Obama. I am saying that voting for one of the two major candidates — yes, choosing the lesser of two evils — is in the interest of any member of the electorate, no matter how disconnected he or she feels from mainstream politics.

Anyone who says that one party represents “Main Street” whereas the other protects the interests of “Wall Street” lives in a fairy tale.

Both the Republicans and the Democrats are, of course, representatives of the economic and political elite of this country.

But there are differences between them, and voting for one over the other — though it won’t produce a dream world — has its benefits.

The way that citizens outside the political norm make change is not at the ballot box, anyway. These groups contribute to democracy through organization, demonstration and all forms of activism. Voting shouldn’t be seen as a violation of one’s political beliefs, but rather as external to them.

Writing in a candidate, voting for a third party and refraining from voting altogether are some of the most impotent forms of activism.

However, as Noam Chomsky, admired by many anarchists, said recently, it is far better to vote against the worst candidate than to vote for the best third-party ticket.

Voters on what many consider to be the political fringe have the right idea when they say that the Republicans and Democrats are just two barely distinguishable factions of the American elite. But people who argue that each individual ought to have a voice should not deliberately silence themselves as a form of protest.

Please, do all you can on Election Day by voting.

Kevin is only loosely affiliated with P. Diddy. E-mail him at krking@asu.edu.