Until a couple of weeks ago, I was not going to vote in the 2024 election.
How could anyone with a moral conscience cast a vote that would further genocide?
Kamala Harris has explicitly stated her unwavering commitment to the security of Israel, according to a statement made by the current Vice President earlier this month. So the question cannot escape my mind — even after deciding to cast my vote for the Harris-Walz ticket.
The decision came after months of grappling with this question when I chose to tell my partner, Miguel, about how I could not compromise my morals and humanity by voting for a party materially supporting genocide. Nevertheless, I am also terrified of a Trump presidency.
“I understand where you’re coming from,” Miguel said, “but you’re the person who speaks up for marginalized voices, and you’re telling me you’re going to let a literal fascist who has neo-Nazis at the forefront of his campaign get away with this? This election is a matter of which candidate will make organizing and actionable change easier — Is it a fascist?”
United States citizens hold immense privilege, not only in our ability to participate in elections but also in how we benefit from the unimaginably long supply chains that lead from impoverished nations to supermarkets and online retailers. Our Western comfort, our abundant access to resources, and the benefits we receive from the exploitation of others are things we cannot abstain from.
Miguel got his American citizenship during the Trump presidency. His experience in doing so is an abhorrent reminder of all of the reasons our country cannot enable a racist and fascist president.
“When I first got my citizenship I remember feeling like it was just unfair to the other people I knew didn’t pass,” Miguel said. “The test taker told me the only reason he passed me that day was because I was the only one who spoke English. It really made me think about how the system is only made for a certain person to pass. I know that there were other people in that room who were so deserving of citizenship.”
Not only did that realization hit Miguel — it hit me.
To abstain from voting as a way to remove myself from the two-party system is to ignore the privilege I have as a U.S. citizen.
Trump’s hateful rhetoric and dangerous policies regarding immigration, climate change, judicial and electoral reform, civil rights, and the entirety of Project 2025 are not only going to worsen the lives of thousands of people in our country but also the lives of those who wish to seek asylum or refuge here. It will make it that much more difficult to create actionable change when our rights are taken away from us.
So how do we make change in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles? We do it shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand.
What all successful grassroots political movements have in common is that beyond their cause, they build a community capable of persevering in the face of opposition.
So to go back to my original question, there isn’t an answer that gives me comfort. My decision to vote for Harris-Walz is still a decision I feel uneasy about — but I must ensure there isn’t a future where Trump is elected.
I am not voting for Harris-Walz because I wholeheartedly support their policies. Like most of us, I’m tired of choosing between the lesser of two evils. However, with our two-party system, I don’t know if a candidate who does represent my ideals will ever be on the ballot. So, I am voting on behalf of those who cannot and those whose lives will be endangered under Trump’s Presidency.
“You shouldn’t think that just voting for someone [or not] makes you morally correct,” Miguel said to me. “That is just the first step into creating actionable change. There are people whose families and friends are getting bombed. There are children who are shell-shocked and have not only no memory of peace, but no concept of that. So how can you not do everything you can?”
