First time voter on why the 2020 election is so important

He gets to participate in the election for the first time. Here’s what this 19-year-old is looking for in a president.

Transcript

00:00I feel like my friends and I have been very acclaimed to actually getting the chance to

00:04vote. So we've been very excited about that day on and day night.

00:16So broadband, all my life living in South rural Georgia has always been a problem. We've just

00:22had a problem with Wi-Fi connection forever. And due to COVID-19, it's been a struggle as we've

00:26moved forward to having classes online. The second one is mental health. I have a lot of

00:32friends even here at college who have just struggled with their mental health and their

00:36well-being. And overall just getting better mental health and having that reassurance

00:42in this election. And the third one is racial injustice growing up in South Georgia for me

00:47as a brown Indian has been very difficult. And I just want to make sure going into the system

00:53and wanting to be a politician one day that I actually want to be able to see

00:57people of my color, people of all colors being a part of the government system.

01:06Politics in my house was never a thing. My parents are both from India. My dad grew up in Canada.

01:11So we just never really focused on US politics. We just did what we did. And my parents just

01:17worked when they worked. And it was just never brought up. But like I said, when I was about

01:2111 and 12 years old, I really was just like, man, one day I want to do this. And ever since then,

01:27my family, my friends, my teachers, my peers have encouraged me from day on

01:31day and night just to be there and support me in what I want to do.

01:51I know that in Atlanta, there is a line starting at 4am for people waiting to vote for early

02:11voting. And I just think it's pretty amazing to see that I've talked to hundreds of friends and

02:17each and every one of them are voting. I'll talk to a few and they'll be like,

02:20why should I vote? Why does it matter? It's just one vote. I'm a youth.

02:23And I explained to them that you just need to research it, figure out the truth and

02:28vote like it is very important because these leaders will be the people that we will be

02:32like a part of and be a part of our leadership when we're in the economy.

02:51If you're not of the age of 18 or older and you can't vote,

02:55that doesn't mean that you don't count. You can encourage elders and you can encourage people

03:01and just go ahead and start understanding the system. So when it's your time to vote,

03:05you can be out there and ready to go.