There are not many things that easily motivate me to wake up at 5:00 in the morning, but on November 3 this year, I had no issue springing out of bed before the sun rose. This year, in the midst of a global pandemic, massive civil unrest, and a climate crisis, I cast my vote for public office for the first time.
It’s no secret that the nation is as polarized as ever, and the issues on the ballot this year made this election historic in more ways than one. With thousands dying from COVID-19 each day in the United States, with protesters flooding major cities nationwide demanding the most fundamental of human rights, and with climate change-induced hurricanes and other disasters increasing in frequency, people’s lives were quite literally on the line this election season. For the past several years, and the past several months, in particular, I have felt helpless; I have felt like the world was crumbling around me and there was nothing I could do about it. This is a sentiment that has been echoed by many Americans, especially young people. But this election season, I finally had the opportunity to exercise my right to make my voice heard, my right to contribute to the decision-making process, my right to vote.
It seemed like a safe bet to get in line 30 minutes before my local polling location even opened at 6:00 AM, but as soon as I arrived, I knew I wasn’t the only one with that idea. The line was already out the door, and ten minutes after I joined, the line sprawled across the parking lot and almost into the street. With masks on and IDs at the ready, we all stood six feet apart in the November cold, awaiting the opportunity to do our civic duty, and we weren’t the only ones. Across the state of Connecticut and across the nation, citizens came out to vote in numbers that broke records. In fact, the 2020 voter turnout is estimated to be the highest in 120 years, according to Vox, and even more empowering, youth voter turnout surged by about 8 percent this year. It was enlightening to see my fellow young voters in line with me first thing in the morning and to hear from my peers that had already voted ahead of time through absentee ballots. We are not the “lazy”, “indifferent”, or “technology-obsessed” generation we are made out to be; we are knowledgeable, socially aware and engaged, hopeful, and powerful.
When the clock hit 6:00 AM and those doors finally opened, the line actually moved quite fast. Soon enough, pencil in hand, I had a ballot in front of me. While the simple act of filling in the bubbles for the local and national candidates I supported was a bit anticlimactic, it was still an exciting and empowering experience. I left the building sporting my “I Voted” sticker (featuring portraits of suffragettes to honor the 100 year anniversary of women gaining the right to vote) with a smile on my face.
In the hours and days that followed, along with the rest of the country I watched the numbers on the news stagnate – we were not going to get results as soon as any of us wanted. Nevertheless, this was the democratic process occurring: every vote needed to be counted to ensure a fair election, and with the context of the pandemic resulting in a surge of absentee ballots, the counting was bound to take longer than usual.
I have hope; not just because Biden appears to have won, not just because we finally have not only a female but a woman of color in the White House, and not just because the election is finally over. I have hope because the people of the United States came out and fought for what they believed in this November. My generation fought for what they believed in. I fought for what I believed in.
We have a long way to go as a nation, and the many issues mentioned above are still ongoing and need to be addressed. But, as I stood in line on November 3rd along with millions of others nationwide, we took a step in the right direction and we made our voices heard. I look forward to voting in the next election and every one after that and advocating for what I believe will make this country and this world a better place.