Will you vote in an election one day? If you do, will your vote make any difference? You’re just one person, after all!

Every four years, people all over the United States vote for a new president. They step behind curtains. They pull levers. They fill in circles on ballots. All votes come from “just one person.” Every vote matters. Voting one-by-one, Americans make huge decisions—together.

Americans don’t just vote for president. They vote in midterm elections, too. Midterm elections happen in the middle of the president’s 4-year term.

In those elections, U.S. citizens make smaller decisions. Voters choose new members of Congress. That may not sound as fancy as voting for president.

Congress members don’t live in the White House. They don’t get their faces stamped on money. They still matter a lot! Congress makes America’s laws.

Every two years, the people of many states also pick out their new state governors. Governors matter too. Governors lead whole states. They often become presidents later.

To be good citizens, Americans must vote. But citizens don’t just have to vote. They get to vote. They get to choose their leaders. That means they get to help decide which rules they will live by. When it comes to elections, even “small” decisions are big. Your little vote will be big, too.