2020 Elections: Think National, Vote Local
If you did not know, there is more than one election every four years that we can engage in to create change.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year of college when I began my internship with the Minnesota Private College Council as the Government Relations and Communications fellow that I truly understood the importance of voting. There are so many vital roles and elected positions that I had the privilege to select but did not know anything about. When I thought about elections, my first thought would be the presidential election and who will be leading the country for the next four years. Many of my professors focused heavily on the president’s role when discussing our government and how it operates. Presidential elections are always highlighted in our education and receive lots of media exposure leading up to election season. What I did not know is that there are so many more important roles that directly impact my community and me at the local level. Learning more about the impact that the Governor, House of Representatives, and City Council has on my experience changed how I viewed politics. State and city legislators are the ones that invest in our education, city infrastructure, and ability to vote with a felony record. Our local representatives are the ones fighting for us, where change can be more immediate and direct.
My first engagement with an election was in 2018; it was the first midterm election I was able to vote in, and I competed in a gubernatorial race with all the private colleges in Minnesota. The goal was to get students to vote from our home institution, mine being Hamline University. It seemed like such a simple task that turned out to be a difficult mission. College students have one of the lowest turnout rates when it comes to elections and are not very engaged with their local politics. I began having conversations with my peers, asking if they had plans to vote, in which many responded, “no, it does not pertain to me” or “I do not have time.” I was distraught at first since it takes no more than 15 minutes to get through the entire voting process, but students still made excuses. Through different conversations, I learned that chemistry and accounting majors did not think the elections impacted their disciplines, athletes did not know how to vote or who was on the ballot. These students were not targeted as possible voters, so they were misinformed about many election details. Through casual conversations, I was able to educate the science geeks that funding for research comes from advocacy and that there are politicians who want to cut funding but can’t because of elected legislators. I explained to the athletes that they may finally be able to get paid for their likeness because legislators passed bills that are pressuring the NCAA to change their policy. Voting is not for just those studying political science or involved activists; it should concern everyone.
Even when our communities understand the importance of voting, we must recognize that there are people who would like to suppress the vote of many marginalized groups. This strategy is utilized to influence the outcome of an election, especially this presidential election. With the COVID-19 pandemic unfolding during an election season, we have seen many ways that votes are being stifled. For example, funding for USPS is possibly being cut, and some cities are removing and locking mailboxes in specific neighborhoods. This is a way that the current administration can prevent people from voting absentee and force them to attend the polls on election day, potentially exposing themselves to COVID. With the fear that he might not win this election, Trump is doing everything in his power to suppress and impede the process of voting for marginalized communities that do not support him. And beyond this election, there are specific neighborhoods that have never been canvassed or united with candidates since their votes are not considered reliable. This holds back marginalized communities from accessing the necessary information when it comes to elections.
Members from marginalized communities are challenging the system that is trying to prevent their participation by voting for candidates who truly represent them. These past five years have been transformative for the Muslim community in particular.
Minnesota elected the first Muslim women to the House of Representatives, and that was the spark needed to encourage other Muslim women, young women, and Black, Indigenous, women of color to run for office.
When we see people who look like us running for office, we can make a personal connection and are more likely to vote to help them win their election. Elections have always been white-centered and male-centered, so when I see a young woman of color running for office, I am more inclined to vote and encourage others to participate. There is always a ripple effect that follows when you participate in an election; I have seen that influence in my own household. My brothers never really followed any election or candidate who was running, but now they text me articles related to Kamala Harris’s nomination or Ilhan Omar’s win in the primaries. You never know who you are inspiring to vote by being involved in politics. It only takes one person to begin mobilizing a community; with every opportunity to get involved, you can inspire someone else. This November is your chance to be a part of history; you can vote early with an absentee ballot, with a curbside ballot, or on election day! Visit mnvotes.org for more information about voting.