Participating in civic life is our duty as citizens

Engaging in civic life may seem like a burden, but it’s our duty as citizens. Active citizenship is essential for our system of government to work. Without it, there is no way we will find the public-spirited leaders that we need.

**Lee Hamilton is a distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and senior advisor for the Indiana University Center on Representative Government. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years.