Voter education must begin long before you go to the polls
By Emily Ramirez
Intern
First-time voter, high school senior, and I Messenger Media intern, Emily Ramirez, pens her thoughts on participating in the election process.
The 2024 presidential election was my first time voting, so I took some time to process the frankly overwhelming experienced. Thankfully, my immigrant mother encouraged me to participate, emphasizing the importance of exercising my right to vote. However, because I have an immigrant family, even though they are here legally, many of them are not citizens and cannot vote.
As a first-time voter with no relatives to walk me through the process, registering felt daunting just as much as it felt necessary.
Most of the time, I felt like I was floundering through the dark, piecing together information with online resources like Vote.org.
I pushed past the mild confusion and inconvenience (which usually comes with doing something for the first time) because I knew how important using my voice was—how impactful it is when women of color show up at the polls to stand up for their rights.
So, I registered, showed up to the polls, and voted early. When I finally cast my ballot, I felt hopeful about the future of my country and my role in shaping it.
Then, I woke up the morning after Election Day and I was gut-punched. I cast my vote for what I had hoped would be the first woman president and for a country that protects our democracy.
Instead, I was met face-to-face with Donald Trump, a felon and now president-elect.
My worries about the future became these overwhelming hurdles I didn’t know how to tackle on my own.
How would my sisters, mother, and I stay safe? How would we protect our bodily autonomy? Should we prepare for the possibility of deportation?
At school, the day after the election, this sentiment was shared by my peers (often in the form of tears or frustration). I realized in times of uncertainty, we can’t fall prey to pessimism or complacency.
And we can’t just dissociate past these four years unless we want more of our rights to be taken away while we turn a blind eye.
Now more than ever, communities have to band together-whether it’s a community project like period pantries, educating your family and friends, or joining a local advocacy group’s chapter.
I realize now especially, that voting is just one step in a lifelong process of enacting change.
