Nov 3, 2020
#walkthevote
One way to protect democracy in the one day left before the election. (En español aquí)
We all remember that fateful night nearly 4 years ago when Donald Trump was elected President of the United States of America. I was two months into my freshman year of college and was left doubting the promise of democracy — how could a man who less than half the country supported be considered a fairly elected leader? I even made this promise on Twitter: “Trump can build his wall, we will be the generation to tear it down and learn from the mistakes made tonight.” But all I was really sure of was that come 2020, I would do everything in my power to support my country in voting our way back to a free and fair democracy.
Fast forward a few years, one pandemic and one missed graduation later: #walkthevote, our fearless leader Roy Bahat, and our incredible family of 80 volunteers have built and supported a movement that has empowered voters across 47 cities and 11 states. These volunteers, along with the captains & walkers who have joined us along the way, continue to amaze & humble me every single day. Above all, #walkthevote is a celebration of democracy, made possible by community. Sometimes, the most important things to celebrate are those that we take for granted.
This past weekend I had an amazing opportunity to travel to Atlanta to support a GOTV event hosted by When We All Vote. I had no idea what to expect in a southern stronghold such as Georgia, with active and aggressive voter suppression efforts ongoing and 14+ hour wait lines at polling places. I don’t mean this lightly when I say that my experience in Atlanta was inspiring and life-changing. After months of working online, I finally got to speak with voters in person (no longer just aggressively tweeting at them). I even got to meet my #walkthevote first team member in person when I stopped in San Francisco (for about 20 minutes) to sprint outside to pick up masks on my way to Atlanta.
The event was next to Centennial Park, the site of the 1996 Olympics. Of course, the weather was perfect and the sun shined all day. Not only was there an early voting center, but there were also food trucks (made possible by José Andrés’ & World Central Kitchen’s #ChefsForThePolls), COVID testing, and even haircuts (by Clip the Line), all for free. I was struck by the energy of all those around me — from my fellow volunteers, to people on their way to vote for the first time in their lives, to the security guards spending their Friday night supporting the event. What I witnessed first and foremost, was a movement of incredibly passionate people, deeply committed to empowering every single voter in their community. On a deeper level, this is a commitment to democracy and the intrinsic value of its celebration, both for the sake of our communities as well as our country as a whole.
I was handing out our signature purple #walkthevote masks, and was out of masks within hours (in case you didn’t catch the meaning of the purple masks, it’s blue and red together because that’s what community looks like, literally). I spoke with political candidates, musicians, activists, students, DJs, artists, reporters, families, and children. These conversations were by far the most inspiring part of my experience — they drew me into, and taught me about what it means to be a part of an engaged community — and especially what it means to exercise your right to vote, even when this means fighting against the institutions that are supposed to protect you in the first place.
An elderly woman with whom I spoke told me she hadn’t voted in over 25 years. This time, she said, she felt in her soul that things were different. Her energy was infectious when she told me that no hell, high water, nor pandemic would stop her from voting. She started a dance party in front of the DJ booth shortly afterward (#walkthevote playlist here for your own voting dance party). I spoke with a young woman who was on her way to vote in her first election ever as a brand new citizen of our country. She came back after she had cast her ballot to celebrate with us, and even though her face was mostly covered by her mask, I could tell she was smiling the whole time. I heard stories from volunteers who had already voted about wait lines of more than 10 hours, who said that it only ended up motivating them even more to vote. A young girl who had come to vote with her mother made up a special #walkthevote TikTok dance and told me that the day she was finally old enough to vote would be the best day of her life.
Hearing the collective voices of voters in such a deeply personal, face-to-face manner (a rare experience these days), and expressed alongside friends and family, was an honor. Even though it was just for the day, I feel lucky to have been welcomed into this amazing group of Atlantans whose love for their community & dedication to voting is inspiring people like me across the country.
People were surprised when I told them I had traveled from Los Angeles to Atlanta to help get out the vote. They told me they felt forgotten and disempowered by the national political machine that focuses only on swing states. They felt ignored by the mass media that only reports on sensationalized and polarizing topics. Now, Georgia is a swing state and there is a new feeling in Georgia that political change is coming, and let me tell you, the people are ready.
Most of the volunteers were young, and like me, this was only their second or third time voting in a presidential election. Maybe this was because of COVID, but I believe this is because my generation has grasped what is at stake … complacency is unacceptable and we have the power to make a difference. Eighteen to thirty-four-year-olds will make up forty percent of the voters in this election! Change starts with voting, but it doesn’t end there. It means mobilizing our communities, taking stands on social media and in real life, calling out what is wrong, and fighting for the change we wish to be, for all of our futures.
