In case you have been living under a rock, Democrats got slaughtered in the 2014 midterm elections. That year featured voter turnout that was at its lowest since World War II. Unfortunately, Republicans thrive on low turnout   especially when they can take advantage of the Supreme Court s monumentally stupid decision to gut the Voting Rights Act. Already, we are seeing an impact. In 2016, GOP voters have been flocking to the polls to support their favorite KKK-endorsed bigot, Donald Trump. Democrats, however, have largely been staying home, especially in southern states.On Saturday, President Obama addressed the graduating class at Howard University, where he dropped a truth bomb on the crowd: if you stay home, we lose. Obama acknowledges that Republicans have managed to not only keep barriers in place even after the many decades since the Voting Rights Act was passed in the first place, but that they are also erecting  new barriers to vote  like nonsensical voter ID laws they claim will combat almost nonexistent voter fraud. But he also pointed out a harsh truth with which we need to come to terms: Democrats have a bad habit of not showing up to the polls. This is the only advanced democracy on earth that goes out of its way to make it  difficult for people to vote,  the President said, referencing the  legacy  of white supremacists attempting to limit the black vote.  But let me say this: even if we dismantle every barrier to vote that alone would not change the fact that America has some of the lowest voting rates in the free world. In 2014, only 36 percent of Americans turned out to vote in the midterms.  Obama told the students.  [It was] the second-lowest participation rate on record.  He particularly urged black voters to get their behinds to the polls. Noting the low African-American participation rates, President Obama reminded them that Democrats staying home  made a difference in what [he s] gotta deal with.  In other words, Democrats who stay home elect Republicans. People wonder,  how come Obama hasn t gotten this done  How come he didn t get that done?  he continued.  You don t think that made a difference? What would have happened if you had turned out at 50, 60, 70 percent all across this country? People try to make this political thing really complicated,  the President said pointedly, but it s actually quite simple: It s mad   If you have more votes than the other guy, you get to do what you want. It s not that complicated. And you don t have excuses. You don t have to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar or bubbles on a bar of soap to register to vote. You don t have to risk your life to cast a ballot. Other people already did that for you. Then, he reminded us of what happens when we don t exercise our right to vote: When we don t vote, we give away our power, disenfranchise ourselves. Right when we need to use the power we have. Right when we need your power to stop others from taking away the voting rights of those more vulnerable than you are: the elderly, the poor, the formerly-incarcerated trying to earn their second chance. You need to vote all the time   not just when it s cool, not just when it s time to elect a President, not just when you re inspired. It s your duty. The President clarified that it s not just national elections that matter. It goes beyond who you put in the Oval Office, or with whom you fill the seats in Congress. It s important to vote for progressive policies at  every level. It is not that complicated,  the President said.  Don t make it complicated. In November, remember Obama s words   and do your duty.Featured image via screengrab