Alexandra: A First-time Voting Experience, Arizona

In early 2020 (just weeks before the pandemic), Smithsonian staff and their storytelling partners at the Peale, Baltimore, traveled to multiple states in the U.S. to ask residents of those states about voting experiences, the current state of American democracy, what issues brought them to the polls, how they made a difference in their communities, and what Americans' civic responsibilities were, among other complex questions.

Alexandra (00:00): Hi, I'm Alexandra. I live in Phoenix.

(00:04): My first experience voting, God, was eight years ago. I voted for presidential race. It was really neat. I'm not going to lie. I was like, "Oh, my voice is being heard!" There was a lot I wasn't aware of that came in with it, and so that's where my parents kind of came in and explained things to me. It was really neat.

(00:29): I do think my vote matters, for the most part. There are times where we go to vote and it still seems like most people voted for something you didn't think would happen, but I do think my vote does count.

(00:47): Having a family that is very supportive of voting, it's really nice, because, like I said, turning 18, my high school also used to do where, when you registered to vote, you got this huge bonus credit. But my parents also made it so that it's your way of contributing to our country, not just our community. And then, like I said, when we get the ballots in, if I ever have questions, I don't understand something, my dad and my mom are right there to explain to me, "This is what this means and this is how it's going to affect us."

(01:25): So it's really nice. It's a surprise to me, growing up, when I found out other families weren't like that, because mine always was. My dad always stresses, "Don't forget to vote. Don't forget to do your ballot and turn that in." It's good.

Asset ID: 2022.34.10.a-b
Themes: Voting, Family, Generations, Participation, Elections
Date recorded: January 25, 2020
Length of recording: 0:01:42
Related traveling exhibition: Voices and Votes: Democracy in America
Sponsor or affiliated organization: Arizona Humanities
More information or related assets: https://azhumanities.org/smithsonian-exhibition-voices-and-votes-democracy-in-america/