Diane: I vote because I can. I can because many people have fought and died to preserve my right to vote. I used to take it for granted. But since the Voting Rights Act was limited in 2013 by the Supreme Court, and I see growing voter suppression, I appreciate just how important the vote is.
Chuck: Voting gives you the ability to influence the direction of the country.
Chanda: I was born a second class citizen in Apartheid South Africa, I was not allowed to vote because of the color of my skin. Voting is a privilege we cannot take for granted. Vote - like your life depends on it.
Michael: I vote because government people have power over me and I don't want them telling me what to do without my consent.
Linda: I care about the future of our nation and world and the people who live in our country and in the world. Elections matter. The person elected to office makes decisions about our schools, the environment, health care, trade policies, immigration. Our relationships with other nations, our taxes, and where those tax dollars are spent, Social Security. I care about the future and want the United States to offer leadership in a world that is peaceful and just.
Don: I see that not voting shifts power to those who don't share your interests. I know that election winners affect real lives in ways never imagined. I will never know the countless people who have fought, taken risks and broken their hearts to preserve my right to vote. I'm an American. How can I
not take my vote seriously?
Patricia: My parents and grandmother taught me it is a right and privilege to vote, do not lose it!
Candi: As a teenager, I would often watch The Tonight Show with my dad. The monologue was always about the political news of the day and my dad would use the jokes as a way to spark thoughtful conversations with me. Those conversations helped me to learn how to separate political rhetoric from solving societal issues. I vote for candidates who represent my views and will support solutions I want my tax dollars supporting.
Elizabeth: I vote because my life in this country has been wonderful because of good government. I've had an excellent education, felt safe and comfortable at home, had first rate health care, and career and personal opportunities with few barriers, and live in a relatively clean environment. I want others to benefit in the same way.
Pam: Our right to vote was ingrained in me growing up. Our parents told us emphatically we live in the best country in the world. I believe this because voting matters!
Debbie: Voting honors those women who worked so hard to get it.
Berge: I vote because I want to have a say in who represents me. If we don't vote our democracy will not work.
Lisa: I vividly remember going to the polls with my mother when I as a young girl then watching the election returns on TV and thinking that she had a role in the results - so empowering! If you stay at home you are essentially giving away your vote to the other guy.
Ellen: I vote to make a difference. My vote shows I care about what happens.
Robin: In high school, the guy who played tennis with me liked to talk about politics. That began my interest in national elections. I had stuffed envelopes as a kid for a local politician, and my Dad successfully ran for school board, but the real influence was a high school friend.
Lisa: Because I am an American and I want change. Women risked their lives for my right to vote and it is a way of honoring them and my fellow women kind. And it is an EASY thing for an American to do.
Betsy: I vote because who we elect, especially the President and the members of Congress, has important consequences for our country! Also, I vote for people who share my concerns on a whole range of issues.
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Please send YOUR story to Brenda Pinto or Aqsa Mohammed, our Program Communications Coordinators. We will post using only your first name. Send email to: lwvd@sbcglobal.net