The Midterms
Historically, humans tend to take things for granted. Take any of our present-day comforts, say, indoor plumbing, and ask yourself how you could live without it. The truth is, we’ve lived without it for most of human history. It was only first used in homes in the 1840s, less than 200 years ago.
The same concept can be applied to pretty much anything, as most of the world’s biggest discoveries and technological advancements only took place in the last century. But we forget about that and assume everything has *always* been there as our inherited right to use – and at times abuse it.
Women couldn’t vote up until 1920, almost 150 years after (white) men earned their right to vote in the U.S. Which brings me to my point: are YOU going to vote in the midterms?
Reclaiming my Rights
I am, and I have voted in every election since I became an American citizen. I want to make sure my voice is heard. I research the candidates and their platforms and give preference to minorities and women (if they align with my liberal views) to try to balance out the low rate of minority representation in politics.
But I don’t stop there. In 2020, I helped several people register to vote, request a mail-in ballot, find their Election Day poll site, and I sent constant reminders to friends to do the same. I lectured my niece – who was born here but grew up abroad – on the Supreme Court, explaining all that was at stake.
I even dragged one sorry wannabe boyfriend (that’s another story) to his poll site at 7 p.m. on Election Day. Why? Because I knew the other choice would be SO much worse for me, for women, for Latinos, for LGBTQIA+ people, for Black people. That’s why.
Do I stop there now? No. I helped to elect someone, they work FOR me, FOR US. When the streets of my neighborhood started to look like a dump, trash thrown everywhere, dog poop on sidewalks, I contacted my representative. They have to do something about it.
When the urgent-care place all of a sudden wants to charge me for covid tests done almost two years ago that were supposed to be free (remember that?), I contacted my representative to help me out, and he got someone on his team to take care of it for me. That’s how it works, folks.
The Midterms and Our Future
If you think midterm elections do not matter, please reconsider. All 435 House of Representatives seats are up for election, as are many Senate seats. This can have long-lasting repercussions on our daily lives, from immigration reform to gay rights, to women’s health.
The governor and Senate races in Florida and Georgia are crucial to ensuring not only that President Biden can pass legislation, but also that residents in those states can have better access to health care, education, and even have a right to vote.
Failure is not an option
I am a woman, a South American, a Naturalized American citizen, a Latina, a liberal. People like me are a threat to conservatives, are more easily dismissed by doctors, earn less than their white peers, and have to work twice as hard to be taken seriously. It’s exhausting at times (well, all the time), but if I give up, they win – and they cannot win.
And you cannot give up, either! That’s why you need to vote. Make your voice heard, show up on Election Day, request an absentee ballot if there is still time in your state, and let everyone know that you are a woman, and you will roar.
