Politics is a topic that my family tries to avoid. My grandparents immigrated from Guatemala to the United States at a very young age. My dad was born in America, and he has never voted. He refuses to vote even to this day. Unlike my dad, I will vote, and be the first in my family to do so. I am voting because it is a step forward. I believe that we need to vote out Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden to save our country from the pandemic and fight for racial justice. 

Our system is falling apart, and at some point there will be no justice or equality for all. The American people will fall with it if we don’t stand up and make a change. I want to be able to see what this country has promised us, the famous quote, “liberty and justice for all.” It’s imperative to understand that the president is a threat to that promise. We must remove Trump from office immediately, because he has failed to maintain democracy. 

Coming from a Latino background can be difficult sometimes. We face a lot of racism and discrimation in this country. Latinos are often told to “go back to their countries” because they have no legal documentation, and told to to stop speaking spanish because “America is a place where you’re supposed to speak english.”

“It hurts to see and hear this.” Those are the exact words I have heard my friends say after experiencing discrimination. According to recent research, nearly four in 10 Latinx people, or 37 percent, say that they’ve been discriminated against during the past 12 months. Trump has also played a huge role in immigration law. The Trump administration has deported approximately 800,000 illegal immigrants. These were not bad people he deported, but people who were trying to reach safety and better opportunities. New policies have to be implemented in order to protect these people, who are only trying to better their quality of life and escape dangers in their home countries. Voting for Biden is a vote to help these families, and guide them into a future with benefits such as healthcare and new jobs. I want my community to feel safe and protected in this country, the supposed “Land of Opportunity”.  

Trump hasn’t been able to lift America out of the pandemic. Not only that, but the president has also refused to do anything about it. There are over 8 million total Coronavirus cases and hundreds of thousands of Americans have died. Since the start of the pandemic, Trump has said “I think that’s a problem that’s going to go away… they have studied it. They know very much. In fact, we’re very close to a vaccine.” We’re heading into November and there hasn’t been any evidential progress. In April of 2020, Trump refused to promote masks and months later America is still suffering from the disease. Trump’s approach to the virus has been extremely appalling and it continues to hurt America.

It’s our time to take action. Vote for Joe Biden. If you can vote, go out and do it! And If you’re 17 or older, register to vote. Vote early and in-person if possible. Voting is very important, because it puts the power in our hands. We need everyone that is eligible to vote to do just that. Voting for Biden is a vote for a change, so do the right thing. Vote for the candidate that will lead us in the right direction.  

It takes all of us, not just one group or an individual. It takes everyone to be part of the change.