By: Vienna Cavazos, Generation Vote Sussex and Every Vote Counts Campaign Volunteer
The 2024 election will be the first general election I vote in. Growing up in Texas, a state where reproductive freedom, LGBTQ+ rights, and other civil liberties face continual threat, I understood early on that participating in the democratic process was extremely important. Throughout my childhood, my mother and grandmother volunteered as election workers and over the years I accompanied them to many of their shifts. At that time, I was too young to grasp the significance of their actions — my understanding limited to “Grandma is working and won’t be home until after my bedtime” — but witnessing my family’s dedication to democracy at a young age instilled in me that voting is not just my civic duty, it’s my moral obligation.
A lot changed between those childhood trips to the polls and finally being able to cast my first ballot. Under the Trump administration, I was still growing into my identity as an openly LGBTQ+ Hispanic person. It was during this time that I began to experience just how personal what many brush off as “just politics” could be and understand the gravity and long-term implications of voting. I feared for my grandmother and other election workers during the 2020 election cycle, watched in horror as rioters stormed the Capitol on January 6, and felt the violence, threats, and misinformation shake me to my core. I witnessed Texas pass laws restricting my access to gender-affirming care and reproductive healthcare and saw my family’s history erased from classroom curriculum. Finally, enough was enough.
A few years ago, I moved to Delaware. Here, I have become connected to civil liberties movements through the ACLU of Delaware, Generation Vote, and many other organizations. Every day, I work to ensure that Delawareans have the right to vote safely and accessibly, the right to essential and lifesaving healthcare, the right to read and learn free from censorship, and the many other constitutional civil rights and liberties we are all entitled to.
Through my work, I carry with me the millions of queer and trans youth across the country whose rights are at risk this election season — especially those in my home state of Texas. Every day, I remember the LGBTQ+ youth who just want to be kids, the election workers who quit or moved out of fear of violence, and communities of color who are denied the dignity of learning about their own history. I think of all Americans who suffer under racist, homophobic, and transphobic laws enforced by a system built on white supremacy and legitimized by voter suppression.
These are just a few of the reasons why this election season, I will be casting my first-ever ballot to protect LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, and racial justice in Delaware and across our country.
Learn more about where the candidates running in your district stand on issues like LGBTQ+ rights, voting rights, and racial justice at VoteDelaware.org.
