Why I Vote
Andrii in Lysefjord in Norway contemplating who to vote for in 2016
Politics, a polarizing word in whatever context it appears in, but one that must be discussed and shared no matter what. With the upcoming election, I thought it was a relevant time to share some personal experiences that highlighted the importance of why I vote in not only presidential elections but also local ones wherever one resides.
I would like to first share my experiences from growing up in Kyiv, Ukraine where just in the last 20 years, I have witnessed two revolutions. Both the 2004 and 2014 revolutions stemmed from corruption of politics, none more an example of this as the 2004 initial presidential election victory being disproved by Ukraine’s higher court. I bring these up because it was a sight to see people from every corner of Ukraine come out peacefully and demand an investigation and promptly a reelection. Months of peaceful protested centered in Maiden square, not only Ukraine but also the many friends from around the world came together to protect the human right of voting. 2014 was a different story unfortunately where what started as a peaceful protest saw a deadly pushback from the government leading to over a hundred of causalities and millions scared. These experiences are constant reminder to not only partake but to protect our freedom to vote. The extent of protection of these rights can be a scary thing however.
When I moved to Colorado, I was first able to partake in elections for the first time and I’ll be honest I did not. I do wish I had because it did instill in me false hope as a young 18 year old that it might not be essential I vote as I still saw the result I wanted. The thought that our vote doesn’t matter can be a very scary and contagious way of thinking. To snap out of it, it took the my experiences with the 2016 presidential election when I was living in Denmark at the time. I had like many the feeling that the election was going to go the way I leaned again but it was once I started to hear from my friends and classmates from different origins, when my way of thinking changed. They kept asking if I was going to vote because they as citizens of other countries still were paying attention because they understood the importance of what these choices do especially at a global scale. We all know what happened that day and what was another blow to many who felt like their vote doesn’t matter. I felt so proud that I voted for the first time to only feel defeated with the result. It could have easily put me back down to not partaking in voting but I want to thank my friends and classmates that urged me to vote and show the importance of a vote no matter how large the scale.
I used to identify myself as a non-political but that slowly changed when I heard a speaker at the Berlin Humanitarian Conference say to an extent “even if you hate talking politics, or don’t have faith in it. If you want to see change you have to be a part of it. Even if you don’t want a hand in pushing certain agendas, vote for someone you believe does want it.” This train of thought is the reminder I give myself that I do have a duty and that it does concern me because at the end of the day its not only a vote, it’s a voice.