The following post was written by Aunti-Fla Gai, an 8th grade scholar at Harlem Prep Middle School.

Voting is a right that some of my ancestors never had, so now that African Americans have the right to vote, I see it as a privilege. The 15th Amendment gave African-Americans the right to vote but literacy tests disenfranchised many of them. This new right gave African-Americans a voice and a say in government. In 2017, we don’t realize how far we’ve come as a country when we have the power to advocate for things that we deem helpful for the government and the community by voting.

Voting in an election is important because that is when people who don’t really have a say in the government get to express what they want fixed and changed in their community. Elections allow us to bring reform to the problems of the world. We should look at voting as a change for the better and new hope for the future. We should use our right to vote so we are not sitting on the sidelines, so the government can hear us.

It was fun to vote in my school’s election because it felt like our votes would actually count. It also felt like we were voting in an actual election. I have learned that my vote will one day count to help this country. I will continue to vote when I become an adult because I wouldn’t want my chance to use my voice for change to go to waste. At times, it is hard to decide whom I should pick. People sometimes are not educated on the candidates or how to vote, so this affects if people vote or not. We should vote, so our voice doesn’t go to waste.

I am not able to vote, but I do have a voice. By voting, you can help leave a positive effect on not just the present, but also on the future. Cast the vote that causes reform and a better life for yourself and others.