I voted in this election because as little as my vote counts and as cliché as it sounds I feel like it is my duty as an American. America is far from perfect and the people running it are far from perfect too, but in comparison to others in other parts of the world we honestly have it pretty good. There are people on other parts of the globe fighting for these basic rights. People will die over the right to vote and be heard and wake up in the middle of harm’s way for this right. In my opinion to not vote because we are lazy or do not feel like going to the polling station maybe once every two years is selfish. In addition, we owe it to the people who live here that cannot vote to vote on their behalf and their rights. In all honesty, I am just like any other young student, middle class American who looks white – although I am Mexican – I have not faced discrimination in public, in the workplace, or at school because of the color of my skin. But believe me, I know way too many who have and cannot vote and they are not being represented.

When I was younger I was naïve and thought, “if they aren’t citizens then why should America care?” The older I get the more I realize that a “citizen” is a social construct and a product of the system. We are all human, we all inhabit this small rock floating through space, and to determine who gets rights based off of who is a citizen or what they look like is bogus to me. If my little walk to the polling station and the fifteen minutes will help people than I owe it to the founding fathers, I owe it to the people abroad, and I owe it to my own neighbors to get off my butt and vote. I also enjoy the sticker they give you.