Spreading the Word to Vote
By: Allen Flores
Introduction
A social issue that I have realized that our country has been facing for a while now is that people are not voting. I realized it when my peers and people outside of school were telling each other that our vote does not count towards our presidential candidate. I believe that this issue that must be talked about because every vote counts, we all must have a say in the next election and we must use our voice to say which path we should go on. We had to vote this year and the following years for any law to pass, or for a candidate to be president.
Research
Many people are not voting or planning to vote in the next election and I wanted to find out the number of people who were not voting. According to the Center for American Progress, studies have shown that, “6 in 10 young-age adults would not show up at the polls on election day.” This is a surprising number because this means that only 40% of young age adults are voting and 60% are not. Those 60% could help any candidate be chosen for presidency. The Center for American Progress also had demographics in which they explained that, “They are racially and ethnically diverse: A full 43 percent of nonvoters are Hispanic, African American, or other racial and ethnic minorities. That is roughly double the 22 percent of likely voters comprised by minorities.” That means that only 78% of the minority population are voting for a candidate, but a few hundred or thousand aren’t. Those citizens are not using their voice to clear a path for our future. Hispanics can also be factored as the biggest part of this election since they hold a good percentage within the population. According to the Los Angeles Times journalist, Sophia Bollag, “At nearly 39% of the population, Latinos are the largest ethnic group in the state.” That number can help out during this election if they do come out to vote, but this begs the question to why aren't they voting? Are they Scared of the future? Do they believe that their vote doesn't count?
We must first see the question that many people are asking, Does my vote count? According to the Learn NC author, David Walbert, “Yes, your vote counts. Some people have complained since 2000 that if the winner of the popular vote doesn't become president, their vote doesn't really count, so why vote at all? But every vote does count, it just counts in a more complicated way. When you vote for president, remember that you're voting in a state election, not a national election. So your vote counts just as much as anyone else's in your state — but it may count more or less than that of someone living in another state!” I did not know that our vote counts only to a state level I as many others assumed that the vote counts in a national level such as one point per person for a candidate. Now realizing this and reflecting on it, this is similar to propositions because they only affect your state. This is where you have one point per person is actually happening, and also for the people who do not know, you can now register to vote online on USA.gov and it only takes less than 10 minutes so there is no excuse that it takes a long time to register.
References
• Fulwood, Sam, III. "Why Young, Minority, and Low-Income Citizens Don't Vote." Center for American Progress. Sam Fulwood III, 6 Nov. 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/race/news/2014/11/06/100627/why-young-minority-and-low-income-citizens-dont-vote/
• Walbert, David. "Does My Vote Count? Understanding the Electoral College." (n.d.): n. pag. Learn NC. Learn NC. Web. 27 Nov. 2016. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/lessons/davidwalbert7232004-02/electoralcollege.html#3
• Bollag, Sophia. "Latinos in California Have One Big Reason to Go to the Polls: Donald Trump." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2016. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-latino-voters-election-20161026-snap-story.html
Personal
Spreading the word to vote matters to me because there have been rumors that our vote does not count towards the next presidential election and each vote leads to a common path for our nation. This issue is relevant to me and personally affects me because as a citizen of the United States of America, I would like to decide who becomes the next president who leads my future, the future of my neighbors, classmates, family and more importantly the nation. Not only am I as a citizen affected, but as a hispanic american millennial born in the United States, I understand how undocumented hispanics who live in the United States feel. Some hispanics are terrified of the republican candidate who believes that building a wall between United States and America will solve many solutions or that mass deportations means the have to go back to the old life they left behind. I’m not here to make you choose a candidate that I personally agree with, but I am here to remind you the importance of registering and voting towards a candidate for the future of our nation. By voting, it not only gives electoral college points to the candidate we choose to elect, but also gives us voters a voice in the election. We all have a voice in everything we do and we must choose wisely in who leads, whether it be a republican candidate or a democrat candidate. Not only do we vote for a president, but we also vote on propositions that affect our state such as where I live in California.
I chose this issue because I want to let others know that they have a voice and they have the ability to use it in this country by voting. If they don't use their voice and we elect a president that the majority of our nation dislike, wouldn’t that be our consequence? This could lead to riots and protesting due to the people not voting in the polls. I went out to volunteer with an organization called #IamAsianAmerican in which groups of people will go around the city to spread the word to vote and to register people to vote. The organization was holding an event in The Wiltern Theatre located on Wilshire/Western in Los Angeles, California. The event was a concert in which Asian American artists performed for the community to get them to register to vote. Artist such as the Filharmonic, Jenny Yang, Parvesh Cheena and Poreotics came together for this common goal and the whole theatre was filled with people around Koreatown since The Wiltern is located in Koreatown. I spent a day going around collecting registration forums so that people can have a voice. Thinking back on it now, I could have stayed home and relaxed for a day, but I felt great going out helping people to register and reminding people to vote. That day I kept thinking that I did not want to see people rioting or protesting due to the fact that people did not vote towards a candidate that they felt should win. It was also my first time volunteering and I did not want to hear from myself nor from others the regret of not voting. People even believe that it takes ten minutes to register to vote, but it only takes two minutes out of your entire day. In two minutes, you get to have a voice in deciding the future of our nation and the future of your life. We as citizens get to choose a path for our nation, which is amazing if you think about it. You, one person in a billion, gets to have a voice and decide which way we should all walk towards to. Everybody uses his or her voice everyday whether it be, which coffee you would like for breakfast or what kind of donut would you like to start off your day. It didn’t hit me until I got back home which was that I was making a difference in our nation, and I was showing the people around me that it was important to have a voice because without one we wouldn't have a say in anything that happens to us. If our vote doesn't count like many people believe, would this country still be the land of the free?
Community Members in Support
I met these wonderful people at the Cross Cultural Center, which is located in the Student Union of California State University Los Angeles. I explained to them that I am using my voice to remind people to vote so that they can have a say in this next election. I also explained how I volunteered at the #Iamasianamerican organization so that people can know the importance of voting and to help the community register to vote. It was important for me to remind others because we only have this opportunity every four years and we as citizens get to elect a leader for the future of this country. They all agreed with my statement and they wanted to help me with my action of spreading the word to vote.
"I think it's important to vote because the people are able to influence the discourse of the nation through expression of voice. Even though we are trapped in a two-party system the right to vote is an act of voice and expression. For those than CAN vote they are responsible for those that can't vote."
Reflection
Voting is a privilege that we have in this country and we should all take advantage of it. I believe that many citizens take it for granted when there are countries where people do not have the right to vote which is pretty sad since their voice is not being heard and no one is caring about them. Everyone who lives in this country has the privilege of deciding the future of this whole nation. I believe that is an amazing gift the government can give to anyone who lives in the United States. In present day, we have elected a president, there are people who have been protesting for days now and some of these protests have escalated into riots. This makes me sad/agitated because this could have been prevented if only the non-voters who are in the protest would have made the choice of voting instead of them creating a huge fuss. All I can say now is that, four years from now there will be another election, I really hope this blog helps people understand that their vote counts no matter which state they are in and motivates them to go out to vote.
Every vote counts, do not be afraid, that is why we are voting, we must be brave enough to let our voices be heard and challenge the future of this nation. We must be willing to change the future of our nation, no matter what candidate has to say and no matter what challenges come ahead.
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