It is election day today, it is the day you get to voice your opinions about those in power and choose a candidate who speaks to you.

Many people my age or younger are abstaining from voting as they don’t like the candidates or they don’t think it will make a difference.  I looked at many articles trying to find out why voting is important besides the obvious. Some talked about self-interest being the only purpose, that the most important part of voting was that your friends and family could see you voting. Others said that one vote doesn’t make a difference, forever the idealist I refuse to believe that we as individuals cannot make a difference. I did find this article from the Huffington Post that sums up 7 reasons you should vote. The most powerful point for me is point six “Voting is a right generation of Americans struggled to win ― and people in other countries are still fighting for.” I, unfortunately, do not get to vote, I am just a lowly green card holder.

This election has me seriously debating whether to go through with the process of gaining citizenship. I had been considering citizenship for a while as I want all the members of my family to have at least one country we are all citizens of, traveling is a pain in the ass with multiple passport holders. I am torn though, I am of mixed race with half my family living in Asia, that half are Muslim. There are many things I love about America but the animosity to other religions and cultures right now is not one of them.  Ideally one day soon I would like my mum to come here permanently to be closer to her grandkids and yet I can’t help wondering what this country will look like then.

I will be sitting on the edge of my seat hoping that the people of this country chose love not hate.