Voting as My Right and Choice
Delta Winds: A Magazine of Student Essays
A Publication of San Joaquin Delta College
2016
Voting as My Right and Choice
Maritza Villalobos
Voting has always been an important part of our country. We have been given the opportunity to decide who runs our country, yet some people want no part in it. It baffles me to see how many people choose not to get involved. I will be voting in the 2016 presidential election because I need and want to take advantage of the right I was given as an American citizen. At one point in time, I was that person who had no interest in politics, but now I want everyone to get involved. The reason for this change is high school and my American government teacher.
Growing up, I wasn't well informed on politics. I had no care for who the president was, and I didn't care for the laws being passed. In all honesty, I didn't even know people were supposed to vote. The main reason for this was the fact that my parents were immigrants. My parents didn't pay attention to politics because they were more concerned with taking care of my siblings and me. Although I am eternally grateful, I feel like they should have been aware of the laws concerning them or people like them. I didn't start thinking like this until high school.
High school was my turning point; it's what got me involved. My freshman year I decided I wanted to try new things, so I joined clubs and played sports. I think that's the typical thing for freshmen to do. Going in, I didn't imagine that I'd be staying after my history class was over to ask about the current world situations. I wanted to know which laws were being passed and what the president was doing to stop terrorism. It just became my thing. One person who made sure I stayed involved was my American government teacher.
Junior year was the designated year to take American government and economics. This was by far my favorite class. My teacher showed us a different video every day. Each video focused on wars, organizations, or disasters that people were not aware of. I was shocked that so much was going on, and no one was talking about it. Then, one day he brought up the topic of voting. He told us that our generation had the least number of voters. Not only that, he said that Hispanics made up a large portion of non-voters. It was ridiculous to see that no one wanted to speak about the issues affecting minorities and the younger generation. This is when I decided I wanted to be involved. I didn't know exactly how I was going to get involved until just recently, though.
I don't remember when the presidential candidates were announced, but I do know that I was furious about one candidate in particular. Donald Trump decided to leave his T.V. show to run for president. At first I had no problem with him; then, he decided to target Hispanic immigrants. The way he accused Hispanics of being rapists, drug dealers, and criminals was offensive. This is when I decided to vote in the 2016 election. I don't want someone as ignorant as he is running our country. He was accusing my people of malicious acts, and he threatened to deny access to education to some of my classmates. We're supposed to trust him to make smart decisions, yet he decided to bash Hispanics. It was absurd to think he could lead this country. However, there were other candidates. It took some research for me to conclude that my ideal candidate is Hilary Clinton. She is doing everything right. She is defending us and proving to everyone that a woman is up for the challenge of being the President of the United States. She has been a politician for her entire adult life, so she knows what she is doing.
It's easy for people to decide that voting isn't for them. I was one of those people. My parents still are. The people who choose this don't realize that their not voting is affecting everyone. So, I am voting for my parents because I want them to live their lives without fear of being deported. I am voting for every immigrant who relies on other people to make the right and smart choice for them. I am voting for the people who are not at the legal age to vote. Most important, I am voting for myself. I have the right to vote, and I am immensely grateful to be able to speak and represent myself and those around me. My voice will be heard, and I will make a difference.