Why Is Voting Important?
This election season we asked NAF students, alumni, and educators to share why voting is important to them. Here’s what they had to say:
On Why Voting is Important
“Voting is important because it’s an opportunity for change. It gives people a voice about who they want in office and is a chance to stand up for the issues you care about. The Black Lives Matter movement, immigration, and the COVID-19 pandemic are some issues that’ll motivate me to vote in the future.” —Maria, NAF student, Washington DC
“I’m not eligible to participate in the 2020 election, but I recognize the importance of voting. Every vote counts and has the potential to impact issues such as education and minimum wage.” —Syrus, NAF alumnus, Texas
“Voting allows you to voice your own concerns and beliefs as a citizen. The result of an election is affected by voting. As a voter, you have the power to dictate the direction of education, workforce development, and more issues.” —Kirsten, NAF student, Nevada
“Voting is important to me because it gives me the opportunity to choose leadership that represents my voice. As an educator, I don’t take the lightly the positive impact voting can have on students by creating a change such as equity in education and regulation of tax dollars to the community. I wish I would have been more informed and educated to vote at a younger age. I did not vote until after college and did extensive research to comfortably and proudly vote.” —Mila Lopez Elmore, NAF teacher, Washington DC
On the Issues They Care About
“Climate change, equality for everyone, women’s rights, improving education, fair and free healthcare, and COVID-19 protections and precautions are issues that matter to me.” —Katie, NAF student, Florida
“Racial justice, immigration, and many more issues matter to me. Also, if the candidate is supportive about education we can have more opportunities to go to college.” —Vanessa, NAF student, Washington DC
On Voting for the First Time
“I voted for the first time while I was studying abroad in Brazil! It was exciting and an honor. Voting is the core of democracy and your way to be heard and influence policy. When the Declaration of Independence was written it said that Governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the governed.” Those words mean that it is people who should decide, with their vote, the influence of authority.” —Josuel Plasencia., Member of the Alumni Leadership Council, New York
“For my mother, becoming a US Citizen, granted her the right and the duty to vote for what she believed was right. She votes for all those who cannot. So following my mother’s lead, when I voted for the first time, I walked proudly to the voting booth and boldly walked out as I, too, am voting for all those who cannot.” —Natasha Singh, Chair of the NAF Alumni Leadership Council, Florida
“It was huge because I remember the night President Obama got elected. I cried because I felt my vote mattered. My grandmother was alive and she said she never thought she’d see the day a black man was in office.
Voting is important because my family is not too far removed from not being able to vote. As a minority, we often get overlooked in many topics so being able to vote helps us voice our opinion. The way minorities are treated in America is one issue that is motivating me to participate in the 2020 general election.” —Austin Hill, NAF teacher, Maryland
Voting can be a confusing process and we’d like to simplify it for you. Use our Be Voter Ready toolkit to learn what you should know for the 2020 general election and which sites can help you gather relevant information about your state’s voting rules.
