For starters, make your voice heard*

Nona Hungate is a 15-year-old student in Flagstaff, Arizona. Her letter to the editor of the local newspaper* was published on February 12, 2017. It speaks for itself. Kudos to Nona for participating in our democracy and speaking out!!

I can’t vote. I’m 15. But I find politics interesting, and they really do concern me. I’m really concerned. So I want to get my word out there. I need to. And here are the ways I have:

This fall, I interned with the Arizona Democratic Party. I helped people register to vote, even though I couldn’t. I called people who didn’t want to be called, to get the word out about our candidates. I canvassed, with a map and a list of names, knocking on doors to make the case for our candidates.

Some people cut me off, saying “I ain’t votin’ for a crook.” Such misinformation, and now we have a president who seems to think his twitter account is a new branch of government.

I discuss politics with my friends and family, at the lunch table at school, at the dinner table at home. We don’t always agree, and so we debate. Teenagers can have strong opinions and arguments based on reason, more than I can say about “adult” arguments I hear on the news.

My mom, dad, my two dogs, and I all went to the Woman’s March. We stood out in the cold, listened to speeches, chanted, and we were heard. I don’t know if anything changed because of this, but at least people know where we stand, and we know we are not alone. My vote may not count, yet, but a voice is all that it takes to be heard.

*Arizona Daily Sun, 2/12/17.