Donnell Drinks: I cherish the right to vote
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Voting in our democracy carries different meanings for different people. For some Americans, voting is a proud exercise of a franchise they have had since this nation’s founding. For others, voting represents the culmination of generations of struggle to secure that franchise.
Whatever a person’s path, I believe voting in our democracy gives everyone a sense of community; a sense of agency from that civic participation; a sense of realizing our obligations as citizens.
But the reality is, in America today, there are still far too many people who can’t or don’t exercise their franchise, people who feel hopeless or that their vote doesn’t matter. This is particularly true of people who are serving time in our nation’s prisons and jails.
I know from firsthand experience. That’s why I want to share my story and urge all people who are in reentry from jails and prisons to understand just how important it is to vote.
When I was arrested at 17, I experienced the ultimate feeling of hopelessness. Entering an adult prison, especially as a teenager, I felt anxiety like I never had before.
Under such circumstances, it can be tempting to cut yourself off from your emotions, to embrace hopelessness because it’s easy to do so. Part of my journey has been from viewing voting and elections while incarcerated as just another reason to feel hopeless to realizing that moving people who were in my position to get out and vote is a major calling in my life.
Watching elections used to bother me because it was a reminder to me of something I never was able to do before my arrest because I was a minor. That feeling turned into shame as I started learning about the slim margins that some politicians would win by; I realized that every vote really does count. In elections involving politicians who ran on platforms that directly impact the incarcerated, my heart broke at my inability to participate.
After my release, I devoted myself to learning about public policy. I realized every road leads to a policymaker. Every hurdle was controlled by a politician or part of a systemic practice. I then understood that in order to accomplish anything, I would have to organize and encourage people to register and vote. If we want to bring about change in our communities,we have to vote.
If you choose not to vote, you are abdicating your responsibility to the issues you care most about. No matter how disgruntled you may be with the system, it’s the one we have now. Only through voting and electing the right people can we change the things that are being done.
Voting is important to me because I finally feel as if I’m contributing to society. My voice is magnified because I can say when asked that I’m a registered voter who voted.
I cast my first vote at 45. The feeling of excitement and accomplishment was intoxicating. Voting made me feel whole. Now, as a mentor to young men in my community, I recognize my obligation to share my story and how it informs me about the importance of voting.
I teach that voting is not just a responsibility and obligation, but a chance for young people as well as people in reentry to be a part of this social fabric. Every civic-minded discussion I lead includes the topic of voting.
I look forward to continuing to work to educate people about both the importance of voting and how — for people who feel hopeless for whatever reason, whether they’re formerly incarcerated or not — voting is a way to feel whole, to hope that this simple act of civic engagement might win us a better world.
Donnell Drinks is the election protection coordinator for the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.