Local Student: I’m too young to vote, so I’m counting on you

I’ll never forget the day when Congressman Raúl Grijalva visited my third-grade class and told us about the importance of becoming leaders in our community. My own immigrant father was deported to Mexico when I was 3 years old, so I was eager for some fatherly advice.

About a year ago, when I was 15, I decided to act on it. Even though I’d be too young to vote by this election, I realized I could help my community by encouraging others to cast their ballots. I began distributing campaign literature to voters, working phone banks and leading Zoom presentations about how to register and submit ballots. It was such a privilege last week, when I helped my friend at the University of Arizona fill out her ballot.

My newfound activism isn’t hard to understand. Like many young people, I feel a responsibility to fight for climate change and affordable education. But I’m also motivated by very personal reasons: I was raised by a strong single mom and am close to my two sisters and nana, and I hate how the president talks about women. That’s not how our top elected official should act.

I also live in a community terrorized by ICE raids and know DACA recipients who lived in constant fear when the Trump administration canceled the program in 2018. Even though the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated DACA this summer, the president has prohibited many people from submitting new applications. Because of this, many of my “dreamer” friends can’t get a part-time job to save for college. Since they don’t qualify for in-state tuition, paying for college will be nearly impossible for many. The unfairness of that makes me incredibly angry.

More recently, I felt punched in the gut when I learned that 545 children who were separated from their parents at the border won’t be reunited with them. I was separated from my dad at a young age. Thirteen years later, I still feel devastated.

The stakes of Tuesday’s election couldn’t be higher, whether they’re about immigration, climate change, health care, education or the economy. And Arizona’s Latino community is poised to play a bigger role than ever. New research by New American Economy found there are more than 361,000 new eligible Hispanic voters in Arizona compared to 2010, and as a group now make up nearly 25% of the statewide electorate. Other research predicts younger voters will play a critical role in this election.

I may be too young to vote yet, but I feel a responsibility to stand up for my generation. We want strong borders and safe communities as much as anyone, but we also want decency and dignity for immigrants and people of color who’ve given so much to this country. They’ve worked in the hard jobs that few Americans want and paid their taxes, even though many of them don’t receive any of the benefits. It’s time for just and compassionate immigration policies. And time for our leaders to stop filling the heads of young people with insults and slurs.

My dream is to study political science at the University of Arizona, work in state government and eventually run for the U.S. Senate. I want to represent all the people I’ve met on the campaign trail. For now, I’ll have to settle for a more limited goal: inspire 20 people to exercise their democratic right and vote. So please, honor your community and all the people who’ve fought so hard on your behalf during this difficult year. Do your part and vote.