San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
No longer will I take voting for granted
I voted when I was 18. I don’t remember who I voted for, only that it was a civic rite of passage, a coming-of-age life event. After that, I was inconsistent. It is something I regret.
I now see that every time I didn’t vote, I sent the message that I didn’t care enough to know the issues or the people. Even worse, my lack of voting showed I didn’t value the work and sacrifices of every activist, politician and military service member who had established and protected voting rights.
From 18, as a Mexican American woman, I have had the right to vote. I didn’t have to own property, take a literacy test or pay a poll tax. My registration was part of my driver’s license application. It wasn’t difficult for me, able-bodied with transportation, to get to a polling site.
By not voting, I was taking all of that for granted.
People choose not to vote for complex reasons, and I had plenty of them. As a young adult, I used every excuse. I don’t understand what’s going on, and I don’t have time to figure it out. I don’t have time to vote. I don’t like politics. My vote won’t count.
But what I didn’t realize was not voting meant I was increasing the value of the votes of those who didn’t look like me, think like me or share my values.
Not all young people are this way. Although they historically have voted at lower rates than older adults, it’s the energy of some young people that has made a difference in the past and is making a difference today.
Young people and people of color have been at the center of our country’s civil rights movements. They helped fuel the movement for the 26th Amendment that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 in 1971.
And today, not only are young people and people of color voting, they are encouraging others to vote, advocating for social justice and running for office. Young people are still using their energy, youth, talent and platforms to fortify our democracy.
I am inspired by people in their 20s who are running for San Antonio City Council and local school boards. Their poise, knowledge of the issues and desire to serve are admirable.
I was delighted to read Andres Picon’s article in the San Antonio Express-News about Brittany Soto, an inspiring 19-year-old candidate for the Comal Independent School District board of trustees. She’s studying the issues, raising her voice and trying to get a seat on the dais.
I was moved when I watched the beautiful video of Tori Baltierra, a 19-year-old member of the trio-sister Austin band Tiarra Girls. Wearing a red suit, Baltierra stood in the Texas Capitol Rotunda on April 8 and bravely sang “Amazing Grace” while nearly a quarter-million rose petals were dropped by other young activists. They celebrate the nearly 270,000 Texans of color each year who turn 18 — voting age.
The effort was organized by
Jolt Action and NextGen. Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, executive director of NextGen America, said the groups want to bring awareness to new voters of color in response to voter-suppression bills. They have joined the fight against Senate Bill 7 and House Bill 6, which seek to narrow voting access based on the false premise of widespread election fraud.
Civic engagement touches every facet of our lives — from laws, policies and leaders to taxes, health care, social justice, the social safety net, equity, schools, city policies, the roads we drive on, the parks and libraries we visit, and so much more.
The last time I voted, elderly and disabled people with canes and in wheelchairs showed up to vote. Standing in line during COVID-19 wasn’t easy for them, and every person in line stepped aside and encouraged them to skip to the front. But they would have waited. They knew the significance of their votes.
I no longer take voting for granted, and I won’t be skipping any more elections. Young or old, eligible voters of all backgrounds and demographics should not only value voting but vote. Imagine a city, state and country with informed, engaged voters that reflect their demographics.
Sustaining our country’s democracy requires participation from all. Engagement at every level, including the sacred, fundamental right of voting, is not only urgent, it is our duty.