I first entered the world of politics when I was 10 years old. Between her job as a lawyer and raising two kids, my mom was spending most of her time at our local democratic headquarters to make calls for a candidate she supported. I began to notice her absence on weekday nights before dinner and weekend afternoons. I mustered up the courage (I thought she was working on a top-secret project) to ask her about what she was doing. She told me that she was making calls and canvassing around town for then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. My mom spoke of her tenacity, ambition, and thoughtful demeanor–all characteristics that she believed would propel our country toward progress. I started accompanying my mom to different political events. Not too long after getting involved, I realized that I was engaging in something bigger than myself. I saw how the actions of the few laid the foundation for groundbreaking change for the many. I knew then that I wanted to be apart of adding onto the foundation of our nation in some capacity. A few campaign internships and a soon-to-be-complete Politics & International Affairs degree later, and here I am.
One of the most profound ways to enact change is by voting. In 2018, young people voted in historic numbers, ushering in the most diverse Congress in history. People finally saw themselves reflected in positions of power in government and major legislative initiatives welcomed new champions. All these changes, however, began because more people decided to vote on the first Tuesday of November. Voting is the driving force behind progress in this country.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” -President Barack Obama
The stories of how people came to engage with politics are rarely the same. Some are forced into caring because their rights to exist are in jeopardy (DACA recipients, members of the LBGTQ+ community, BIPOC). Others have the privilege to ignore the subject entirely and only vote as their parents/family members/friends tell them. Regardless of how American’s come to know politics, it’s imperative that we all try to understand what’s at stake in each election. That way, we can use our collective voting power to usher in an era of change that is usually long overdue.
I encourage you all to register to vote for the 2020 Presidential Election (and all elections to come, no matter how local). I encourage you all to vote for the change you think is necessary, and I hope you all do some research on the issues at stake for ALL Americans. Check out vote.org for more information.
