Now more than ever, the next 48 hours are crucial to the future of the United States. The only way to move forward as a country is to vote for change, and that means everyone must exercise their right to vote.

Ultra Major bassist AJ Tobey participated in early voting last week, which is available in 43 states and the District of Columbia. He has always been interested in politics, however that interest is at an all-time high for level of concern.

“This is without a doubt our most important election that we’ll get in our entire lifetime,” he said. “Be responsible with your vote because it carries a lot of weight.”

For the last several months, Americans have watched their country lose the battle between scientific fact and political opinion, causing more than 200,000 deaths due to the coronavirus outbreak. They’ve watched basic human decency fly out the window from the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and hundreds of other Black Americans. This has gone on far too long, and we have had enough.

For many, they will agree that Joe Biden was not their first choice. Biden may not have even been many people’s second choice. But the time to choose has come, and for those people, Biden is now their only choice - and it’s on them to stay positive about that.

There will be many things for Biden to address as president in addition to the ever growing pandemic - racism, healthcare, gun violence; the list is infinite. They are all topics he has addressed before, and it’s on us to make sure he continues to address them during his presidency.

“It's miles between Biden and [presidential candidate Bernie Sanders]; it's lightyears between Biden and Trump,” Tobey said. “At this point, I think we need to first of all focus on undoing all of the harm that Trump has done. I think that it's going to take a bit to unravel all that and put it back together, and once that is the case, then we need to start chipping away at it one issue at a time.”

This election is not only important to who the next president is, but is equally important to be educated on who else is on each state’s ballot.

“Every single person matters,” Tobey said. “Every person in power is there to speak for you and if we don't have someone who represents our voice then we’re not represented.”

Tobey is one of many musicians who is using their platform to share their political opinions, but more importantly, start a conversation about why voting matters. He believes that it is important to put your beliefs out there if the end result is getting that person to stand up for what they believe in and stand by their words.

“I do think that it’s very helpful and really nice to see bands on larger levels take a stance,” he said. “Seeing these conversations take place with people they respect and knowing who their idols are supporting and why is an encouragement to do your own research.”