Greetings fellow changemakers. My name is Felice Garcia and I am a Democratic Party Ward Chair.
The job of precinct and ward chairs is to get out the vote in our neighborhoods. I was first a precinct chair and am now the ward chair in a strong democratic district with fiercely progressive representatives. Yet when I began my work as a precinct chair it became clear to me that there were a significant number of people who were overlooked as voters. Because of my own apprehension about becoming involved in the process of politics, I recognize that it takes more time to engage apprehensive people who believe that what they do will not matter.
I want to turn the lights on for those who are being left in the dark from the democratic process and to encourage them to engage and to exercise their right to vote and embrace the power that holds. To help lift both ourselves and our communities we must encourage every friend and family to embrace their right to vote and protect that right for everyone, not just informed insiders.
Voting is one of the most powerful things we can do as individuals. Some of us can be afraid of that power, but we should not be, it is ours to embody. Some of us are concerned that voting doesn’t connect to true change, but it’s really one of our most effective tools in creating the world we want to see. One way we can empower others is to help non-voters access knowledge and the ballot, whether we’re precinct chairs, or vocal members of the community. We cannot allow the political landscape to overlook and undervalue BIPOC and those who are marginalized by socio-economic oppression or we cede the power to shape our own future.
[Why are we left out? Why is our vote undervalued and our needs underserved? What about the system discourages our participation and how can we reframe and organize to make space for ourselves, and demand that lawmakers support us?] I understand why so many of us are apprehensive about the process — from the history of voter suppression for BIPOC and formerly incarcerated people, to the way that politicians have made our communities promises that they haven’t delivered on. We can feel tokenized, disenfranchised and unheard. But our power is still best informed by knowledge and participation, and voting is a vital piece in the larger project of fighting for equity and inclusion. We need to speak to our community through voting, to our lawmakers and representatives, and use our vote, and our voices to continue to hold them accountable to our needs.
Voting is a currency, a currency we need to invest in systemic change. I am a hair salon owner who finished high school by completing my GED. Someone who grew up helping my single mom raise four young siblings. I did not have any special skills, just a deep desire to empower others like me to find their way to the voting booth and harness our power as changemakers.
Read the next article in the series by Leila Salim: https://medium.com/@olenewmexico/leila-salim-on-voting-f400a17031d6?source=friends_link&sk=c970fa1171a2cfa0d8a3b20dd0ca9ca2
This article was written originally to be a speech for a Facebook Live stream video OLÉ did awhile back. Feel free to visit and watch the whole video here: https://www.facebook.com/586402784803665/videos/671603016798529
