I voted in this election because I am tired of the lies and hate Donald Trump is spreading throughout this country. This doesn’t mean I wouldn’t have voted if he weren’t in office, but I voted to make sure I did my part in getting him out of office.

I come from a family of immigrants who came to America for a better life. Both of my parents are immigrants who struggled to make a life in America for my siblings and I. In 2016, I would hear the way Trump would talk about Latinos, specifically Mexicans. He would speak about us in such a negative and hateful way. I never thought in a million years he would’ve been elected president. I was 17 during the 2016 Presidential Election, so I wasn’t eligible to vote. That left me feeling helpless because I couldn’t do anything to keep someone so hateful out of office. The night of the election I stayed up watching the news, praying and hoping he wouldn’t win. When it was announced that he did, I cried. I cried for hours because I didn’t know what this would mean for my undocumented family members, especially my dad. This is one of the reasons I voted. I voted because I want immigrants and undocumented people to feel safe coming to this country and living in it.

I voted in this election because the current president doesn’t believe in COVID-19 and didn’t take the necessary steps to bring our cases down and keep our country safe. Trump has encouraged many of his supporters to ignore the pandemic that we’re living through, putting a ton of others at risk of contracting the virus. Too many Americans have died because of Trump’s careless attitude and capitalistic mentality. He discredits the virus and the seriousness of it. The virus has negatively affected lower income communities because they can’t afford not to work. We need a president who will do what they can to protect Black and brown communities across America.

I voted in this election because my younger brother needs his health insurance.

My brother just recently turned 18. He is close to graduating high school and going to college. Just like me, he can’t leave the house because he is considered at-risk. He is diabetic and has an auto-immune disease. He needs health insurance to continue his regularly scheduled visits with his primary doctor to keep his health in check. He needs health insurance to pay for his medications the doctor prescribes him. I’m voting because I want to protect my younger brother.

I voted in this election because I am a woman and we deserve to have someone in office who doesn’t degrade us. I voted in this election because I have the right to decide what I want to do with my body. I want other women to have the same choice. I voted in this election because I want to protect all women.