Why The Youth Voice Matters This Election

“Driver’s license?” “Check.”
“Social Security Card?” “Check.”
“First-time voter nerves?” “Also check,” my mom chuckled.

I gave her hand a squeeze. Yes, my mom barely spoke English. Yes, she had to take her citizenship test three times before finally passing. Yes, she felt as if all the odds were stacked against her. Yet, she forced herself to get up two hours early on the morning of Election Day, made me check her purse ten times to ensure she had the required documents, and kept fiddling with her stress ball — all just to vote.

As we entered the building, my mother frowned. “I don’t see any Bengali translators… ” she defeatedly said. As poll workers bombarded her with questions, all in English, I stepped up and shouted, “STOP!”

My name is Fairooz Nawar, and I’ve been my mother’s personal translator since the age of ten. I’m an Elections Fellow for AMP Global Youth, and I’m educating and mobilizing youth on the power of voting. Young people are constantly told that we are the future. But as a college student, too often I don’t see my peers acting like their voices matter. Youth are projected to be 37% of the 2020 electorate, enough to change the results of the election by a massive margin (The Nation). Yet they say, “One vote won’t matter” — too blind to notice that the world is listening, and too deaf to hear their own voice. As youth, we have a unique perspective on the most pressing issues of our time. So I ask my fellow youth, will you join me in using our voice to make leaders care about what we have to say by voting this November?

My father always told me, “Freedom is America.” In fact, he flew my mom and I from our home country of Bangladesh to come here, just because America allows us to have our liberation. To my eight-year old-self, America sounded perfect. That’s why I never understood why every year, my parents would drive for miles just to vote.

“America’s already perfect,” I told my dad one day. “What will your one vote do?”
My dad asked, “What makes America perfect?”
I immediately answered, “Freedom.”

What my dad said next changed my perspective on voting forever. “Freedom would not exist without voting. You vote to keep your freedom, to keep your life under your rule. Once you stop voting, you give that freedom away to someone else, and let them control your life. Then America won’t be your America anymore.”

Voting is what makes America, America.

It is clear that the way our leadership handles both domestic and foreign affairs needs to change. This election will undoubtedly shape the most crucial issues of our generation, from climate change to healthcare to the future of the Supreme Court. The consequences of this election will affect us not only next year, but for the rest of our lives. This election will bring forth a new world, and we need to decide who’s going to take charge of that world. Whether young or old, your vote has an impact.

Voting is your power to stand up for the issues you care about, like education and healthcare. It’s your power to decide on the quality of life you want for yourself and for future generations. Regardless of your race, age, culture, or financial background, you can make a positive impact not only on your communities, but on the whole country, just by voting. That is why it’s so important for us to speak out, engage in our political system, and force society to give us a seat on the table.

I’m calling on my fellow youth to step up to the plate and vote this November. We are the future of America, and only through uniting and making our voices heard, can we change our world. For too long, youth have sat back and watched while people decades our senior have made decisions that deeply impact our own lives. This November, we have the opportunity to change that. But we can only do it if we all vote.

So, where do you start? It may feel overwhelming, but a simple Google search can help. You can go to elections.ny.gov to register to vote, check your voting status, and find a variety of other resources.

Don’t wait — one hand, one voice, and one vote can change the world.