I’m too young to vote, but I’m not standing idly by

Project: Underage ‘activators’ pair with ‘proxies’ who cast ballot

I’m sitting in my Advanced Placement U.S. History class, my knee bouncing up and down, and I’m not paying attention. To be fair, I

am thinking about the United States; it’s just hard to focus on the past when so much is happening in the present.

The past six months, I’ve been thrown into the activist and political world after co-organizing the Houston March For Our Lives event this past March. Since then, I’ve marched against family separation, met with Texas superintendents about getting voter registration in high schools and educated myself on issues affecting our nation. But it will be another two years until I can vote, and if I’ve learned anything in the past six months, it’s that politicians don’t care about marches or protests or public outrage; to them, if that outrage isn’t reflected in the voting booth in November, it doesn’t matter.

The sad truth is that Sen. Ted Cruz, one of Texas’ two Republican senators, didn’t care about me and the 15,000 other people rallying outside his Houston office March 24, because past data predicts that not that many of us, America’s youth, will cast a midterm ballot. There’s little reason for any politician to listen to the 18- to-24-year-olds of Texas when less than half are even registered to vote. In a world where thoughts of re-election dictate politicians’ every action, the opinion of a 16-year-old girl like me doesn’t carry much weight in Washington.

But I do know that there are other ways I can make my voice heard. If I can’t vote, I can at least make sure that

other people do.

That’s why I signed on as one of the founding organizers of The Proxy Project, a campaign to use the energy and enthusiasm of us young activists to drive others to the polls. The idea is simple — those of us under 18 can’t vote, but we can inspire others to. The project calls for “activators” who can’t vote to partner up with “proxies” who can. The activator will remind their proxy to vote in a much more personal way than the mass texts sent out by organizations and candidates. The key here is the one-to-one relationship, the personal touch that will drive the proxy to the polls. Activators should choose someone who might not otherwise vote to be their activator — whether it be a parent, an older sibling, a friend or a mentor. The activator and proxy can sign up as a team. It’s a way to empower youth, while at the same time increasing voter turnout.

The Proxy Project website makes it easy to get involved. You can become a high school “captain” to recruit activators and hold competitions among friends to see who can sign up the most activator/proxy teams. The votes we secure by these personal connections could make the difference in a close race at any level, from the local city council to the White House.

My proxy, Ava M., is a close friend who runs cross country with me on our school’s team. She’ll be a new voter come this Election Day, and casting a ballot for the first time can be pretty daunting. As her proxy, I’m here to help! I’ve made sure she’s registered, and I’ll help her research candidates and find her nearest polling location. Even more important, as her friend, I’ll talk to her about why voting matters so much to me. Together, we can become more engaged citizens, learning about the issues facing the world around us and the steps needed for change.

Even if you can’t vote, take action. Don’t let your age or your citizenship status stop you from making a difference.

And if you’re of voting age, I’m counting on you, just like I’m counting on my proxy, Ava. I’m counting on you to cast a ballot this November because there are millions of Americans who can’t. I’m counting on you to bring a friend to vote with you because I bet you have many friends who’ve never voted before. I’m counting on you to represent me and the other kids who politicians don’t care about, because if you don’t stand up for us then I’m not sure who will.

On Nov. 6, I’ll be in my history class, cheering you on and counting down the days until I can join you at the polls and cast a vote myself.