Election day in my family is a holiday whose importance is rivaled only by Thanksgiving.
Today, my sister voted for the first time. In a swing state, no less. She cried as she cast her ballot. In a race as close as this one, she can honestly that her first vote made a difference. 100 years ago, not only would she not be able to vote, her vote for Obama would have been inconceivable.
My parents and grandparents waited 14 years to become citizens and vote, all the while watching the fate of their lives being twirled in the hands of their neighbors. So when my 20 year-old brother, let’s call him Potentially Fatal (because he could be, if he tried), did not register to vote, it was blasphemous. His anarchist, atheist, apathetic views make me proud of him for being his own person, but oooh, boy does the rest of the family not get it. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is this:
My generation, let’s say those of us who can remember the 90s as a part of our youth – Gen Y, the Millennials as we have been called, is incredibly exciting to me. I cannot wait for what the future holds.
The first time I voted, I helped elect the first African-American to ever hold the office of the President.
Now, today, I voted for him again. Not only that, but I, like many of my peers, also voted to pass a marriage equality law into existence. THAT. IS. INCREDIBLE.
When I look at the faces on my television, I’m struck by the tears of joy, the raw emotion I see in the eyes of the crowd gathered. Because this fight is not just an election. It’s a change. This country is on the brink of new era in politics and culture. To these people, this election is not just about politics, it’s about a way of life. It’s about freedom, and equality, and justice. How can we afford to lose that? We can’t. It is unacceptable. That’s why I danced around the house as the ballots referendums came out, and teared up as I pushed that button of the ballot box.
It’s easy to get bogged down by all of the systemic oppression in the US, by the anti-women, anti-gay rhetoric filled with the evil ‘isms’. It’s easy to say that we’ve still got a long way to go, and we do. But look at what we did today! The legalization of marijuana in two states, and marriage equality in four, the DREAM act, and so much more! It’s incredible! I cannot wait until we ourselves run for office! Maybe next term, the environment will be the most contested issue. And maybe drone strikes won’t be, because we won’t be at war. Maybe, someday, we’ll move away from a two-party democracy!
The media tried to paint us as apathetic, and sometimes, I agree. I get worried that too many of us youth don’t care. But we cared today. I’m flying high right now. Today, the dreamers and the idealists are still out there, working for a better future.