Feeling Empowered and Voting for the First Time, by Teen Contributor Morgan Randall

I went and voted on the fifteenth for the first time, and here are some things I wish I had known before going into the polls to vote.

It was really important for me to get out and vote this year not only because it is a major election that is crucial in shaping the future of our nation, but also because this year, being the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, made this very important for all women. However, I was very anxious about going to vote, not because I was unsure about who I was casting my ballot for but because I felt like I had never been exposed on the way to go about voting. Plus, I am registered to vote in the county where my college is, not at home. So I couldn’t go with my parents or any of my friends (who are registered to vote back home).

Luckily, my college had it clearly marked where voting was taking place so it was easy to find where to go. I also was very thankful that everything maintained a distance of six feet apart, and everyone was wearing masks. When we entered we were given a finger protector so that no one was touching the screen or anything else directly. We were also told about keeping our phones off and away. When I got through the line, which went extremely quickly because there were a lot of voting stations, my voter registration was checked and then I was also given a card with my verification of identification and my ballot. The lady even told me how the machines worked.

Working the machine was a lot easier than I was expecting, as it walked me through what to do. Let me select all the positions I wanted to vote for, then allowed me to review it, and then review again before putting my ballot in to be printed out. I put the ballot in and all my selections from the computer were printed onto my ballot. It was really easy and took way less time than I imagined.

Then I went and put my ballot into a box, to be turned in. And I got my “I Voted” sticker, leaving that building made me feel so proud and empowered.

Morgan Randall, Teen Contributor

Morgan recently graduated high school and is currently enrolled to attend college in the fall getting her BA in Theatre and Dance with an emphasis on Design and Technology. She loves theatre, writing, reading, and learning. But something that has always been important to her is being a voice for those who feel like they don’t have one, and being a catalyst for change in any way possible.

Filed under: Election