Why I vote: Community action begins at the ballot

This young woman lists all the reasons that she votes. Good reasons for everyone, I think.   - - Donna Poisl

from Cristina Tzintzún

Since I was 15, I have been serving my community. From teaching English to new immigrants to giving food to the homeless, from marching for immigration reform to organising Latino workers. I also vote. As a woman, progressive and Latina, there are so many reasons to vote, and that's why I am not sitting out this election. I realise that voting isn't the most important thing I do to make a difference, but to honour those who struggled to get into the voting booth, to prevent the Republican party from undermining the needs of my community, and to advance a more progressive agenda, I vote. For Latinos who care about our community and can vote, it's our duty to do so. 

I live in a predominately low-income black neighbourhood. At my polling place, the volunteers are older African American women. These women remember a time when their vote and voice were intentionally and brutally excluded from the political process. The Civil Rights movement won them the ability to vote. By voting, I honour that struggle.
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