Reflections on the 2020 election written by 3 Public Health Academy (PHA) interns

Intern 1: Even though I’m not 18, I was involved in my community by urging people to vote if they are 18 or older. My cousin sent me information I could share with people so that’s what I did. It was like simple Instagram posts helping people and urging them to vote. These simple posts explained to people how important voting was and how we need to help this country a better place. I noticed how many people 18 or older were voting and they were even spreading the message to their friends. I had many friends who were also working at the polling places. It was good to see that people were actually trying and helping at the polling places. During this election, I tried to do my best by even telling my whole family to vote. In a couple of years, Gen Z will be running this world, so this election was very important.

Intern 2: I got involved in my community by working for the election in Downtown LA. I helped people who could vote by answering any questions they had regarding the election. Working at the polling places was such a great experience for me. It was really tiring especially the last day, I worked from 6 am to 8 pm. The day went by smoothly, the people were super friendly, and helpful. Experiences from this election helped me gain more information on how voting works, who can vote, and how votes get counted. I will most definitely vote next election and stay educated.

Intern 3: My community is black and brown populated, so many were scared for this election as it will be affecting everyone’s lifestyle in the long run. Many would ask me my opinion and I would ask theirs, seeking to have an open discussion and try to understand politics a little bit more. I’m not 18, so I didn’t have the ability to vote just yet, however, I was able to help. My aunts speak Spanish and are very new to this as it was their first time voting so I helped by making sure they followed all requirements so it could be valid. I've seen my mom vote before, so I’ve used my experiences with her to help my aunts. It was such a nice feeling to have helped with something that seems so simple but yet has such a great power within it.