A Guest Blog by Ciara Jackson

As soon as I turned 18 years old, my mother urged me to register to vote in our state, especially because I was leaving to attend college. My mom also works for the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, so I understand the importance of voting and how it affects us as citizens.

As I was driving to the Loudoun County, Virginia Voter’s Registration Office, my heart was racing. I had never registered to vote before. I turned to my friends for support, but none of them had ever registered to vote either. I realized then that this was something I was going to have to complete myself. As I was walking into the office, I had finally calmed myself down. While I thought registering to vote was going to be fairly difficult, it was easier than most of the things I do in my daily life. All I had to do was prove who I was and fill out the paperwork. Voting is made easy now-a-days so more people have the opportunity to vote. This is something that I didn’t realize until I was finished registering myself.

While some college students may put off registering to vote, I didn’t want to wait. In this day and age, I think it’s important for all people - especially women - to vote. No matter your age, background, or ethnicity, we need to vote not only to maintain, but to expand our involvement in society and take responsibility for what is going on in our world. Voting allows us all to do something about what’s going on around us instead of expecting others to do it for us. We all need to speak up for ourselves and our rights. We also need to take advantage of the opportunities available to us, like casting our ballot. That is why voting is so important. We need to use what we can to express ourselves and allow the rest of the world to hear our voices. 

Ciara Jackson is the daughter of EAC Human Resources Director Corliss Jackson. She is a freshman at Johnson & Wales University.