EJ: Excited to Vote for the First Time, 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.

EJ (00:00): I am very excited to vote. Sadly, I won't be able to vote in the 2020 election because I won't be 18 yet, but I'll be able to vote in the 2024 presidential election and the 2022 state elections. And I'm very excited for that. So I believe that everyone's vote matters. And for me to be able to display my vote finally is kind of like a win for everyone because everyone should be able to vote, in my opinion

(00:30): Some things that get me interested in the community, things that involve helping people, I enjoy things that bring a change to people for the better. And I believe it's our right as citizens of the United States to stand up for what we think is right and to make a change for that.

Asset ID: 2022.34.12.a-b
Themes: Voting, Participation, Youth, First-time voting, Helping Others, Elections, Presidential Election
Date recorded: January 25, 2020
Length of recording: 0:00:50
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/