As a young adult who is both eligible to and intends on voting in the 2022 midterm election year, the right to vote is extremely important to me. I believe the right to vote is one that should be unalienable, any person living within the United States of a legal voting age equally deserves for their democratic say in the governance of our country. Without unobstructed suffrage, there is no democracy and there is no republic. Having seen the right to vote stripped from or never granted to specific groups of individuals, including convicted felons and undocumented immigrants, has only further emboldened my passion for the right to vote for all Americans. I don’t think that a person’s criminal record or lack of citizenship should curtail their ability to have a voice in electing politicians that they believe will represent them and their needs best, a practice I believe is inherently authoritarian. Only allowing the people in this country “trusted” by the government to vote for the very seats of government that make these decisions is not unintentional, and it's a practice that is backwards and needs to change.

In response to restrictive voting laws passed by Republicans across the country, Democrats should take initiative in combating these laws directly. Democratic candidates running for state or national congressional seats should make repealing restrictive voting laws a key element of their campaigns, as well as publicize the reality of these laws that are often ignored, swept under the rug, or otherwise completely deceptive. It is clear that these voting restrictions specifically target the demographic of Black voters, especially in southern states, and informing the general public of the true intention of these suppressive moves by Republican politicians is necessary if any progress is to be made towards eliminating them. Another way to combat these laws is by increasing voter turnout. It is well documented that far fewer young people make up the general voting population than older people. Energizing the youth is imperative to seeing forward progress in our country, as its obvious that many decisions made in our country are made by a specific minority of older voters, who generally tend to hold more bigoted and outdated views.

I believe that voting rights in our country are under attack, and I believe that the best way to combat this, especially for Democrats, is to cultivate a passionate and energized voter base that actively and, yes, aggressively fights for the necessary and long overdue changes to voting rights in our country. The United States of America prides itself on the freedom of its people, but until everybody has the same access and ability to vote for their representation, nobody is truly free.