Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), and Congressman John Lewis were two of the most influential people that this generation has witnessed fight to end systemic racism and gender inequality. From RBG’s determination of making sure women had a voice in this world to Lewis’s continuous message of unity being the only way forward as a country, these two groundbreaking individuals represented change. People that were willing to step out and do the unthinkable in the midst of adversity, never losing sight of what it’s important and necessary.

Now how do you think they were able to step up to the plate? 

Simple. By being advocates for equality and justice. 

This past year alone, we have seen history repeat itself, as we continue to experience cruelty and ignorance, pertaining to the pandemic and the lives of Black people in the country AND in the walls of our university. And we have constantly fought back to assure our place in this world. With our protests and our letters, we were able to make our voices heard. 

So the question is why does that stop at casting in our ballot?

Why do we speak so passionately about the things that need to change but don’t participate in the actual event that can bring leaders to make those changes come to fruition? 

There is no excuse. 

You have probably heard and seen this pitch for voting so many times, but it is crucial you know how much your voice really matters in this upcoming election. 

The media has continuously tried to fill our minds with myths about voting that may have given us the wrong picture about what voting is and it needs to be debunked.

Here are the main ones. 

MYTH 1 

• Your vote doesn’t matter- Though it may not seem like your single vote doesn’t matter with everything that’s going, it does.There have been many elections in the past two decades that have been determined  or tied by one single vote.  Literally one vote can make a difference so don’t ever think yours can’t. 

MYTH 2

• President elections are the only ones that matter- The president and vice president can’t be focused on one state all the time. That’s why we have governors, senators, and an attorney general. State and local elections can have more influence than presidential elections because they work with issues and pass policies that affect your community. They even have proven to be more productive than Congress in passing bills, so vote in your local elections as well because they directly impact your and your family. 

MYTH 3 

• Mail-in voting leads to voter fraud- We have seen this issue plastered all over the media, for months. Many, including the president believe that mail in voting will play as an disadvantage, but in truth there has been no real evidence of fraud. Some states even vote entirely by mail and have no issues. The bottom line is that voting by mail is most likely not to harm the election. If you want to vote by mail, make sure you request a ballot and check for the deadline to have it sent  so that it can count.

This is a critical time in our country and we need all hands on deck. 

The government is of the people, by the people, for the people right? So let’s make sure that we get the right ones elected. 

Let’s continue the job that RBG and John Lewis already laid out for us; they already set the blueprint, all we gotta do is follow it through. 

Don’t complain about the problem if you haven’t even participated in the solution.