So if you follow me here, you know that I’m a 17 year old living in Pakistan.
And as for most people, who do not live in the US or are not even of the voting age yet, you would say that the elections are not their headache.
I happen to disagree. Someone whose mother is often appointed a Presiding Officer during elections, I’ve always been very in touch with the elections. I remember being little and running around the neighbourhood on my tricycle, asking people to vote for the party I supported.
US elections, on the other hand, had always been something far away, something we could do nothing about. Pakistan, like a lot if other countries, is very directly affected by who and what the US Government is. We have funding treaties with them, as well as many, many people of our country living in the US for both education and job opportunities. US is a part of the The Permanent Five, which are 5 countriea that are permanent members of the UN and you need their vote in making many important international decisions.
So, if you’re going to sit there and tell me that the US should handle their own elections, I’m not going yo listen yo you.
WE happen to share the same planet in which the actions of one very directly affect the other, and especially during these days when everything is on the brim if disaster, it matters.
Here’s a great article I found about why you should be active in these midterms. They say:
In November we have an enormous opportunity. Every single House seat is up for grabs in November, and so are enough Senate seats to flip the chamber.
Usually, midterm elections don’t mean too much. Our system is built to protect incumbents, and, as voters, we’re pretty bad at showing up when there isn’t a president on the ballot — so, under normal circumstances, not much changes.
These are not normal circumstances.
If we see the same kind of voter turnout we did in 2017 (you know the kind that put a Democrat in the Senate in Alabama, a Liberian refugee in the Mayor’s seat in Helena, Montana, six trans Americans in elected office across the country, and black women mayors from Charlotte to Charlottesville), we can take back Congress.
So, to anybody who is under 18, or is neither 18 nor lives in the US, here’s what you can do to help during these midterms:
RESEARCH
This is always the first step. Research about the elections. You don’t have to have all 50 states going on at once. Pick a state where the competition is close. If that’s difficult for you, we all know someone who lives in the US, a friend, a family member, and pick the state they live in. Research on that that. It will help you carry a conversation and have educated arguments. This is the best place to start.
TEXTING
Postcards were a great thing to remind people to vote for the elections. But texting has changed the game. You can do it on your computer and reach hundreds of people at once. You can reach out to real time voters and talk to them, answer their queries. It might seem a bit much at first, but as you go on, it’ll become a habit. I’ve been texting for a week now and it’s actually a very enjoyable way to help out. You have great conversations with people and it’s one of the best ways to help out. Get started here.
DONATING
A few of you may not be able to do this and I understand that. But donating is another way to support a candidate. This article talks about how donating can be game changing. Again, if you don’t live in the US, I encourage you to either pick a state where your donations are really needed, or talk to someone you know you lives in the US(we all know at least one) and encourage them to do so. Which brings us to our next point:
JUST ASK
I know this seems so simple, but this is much more important that it may seem. A few weeks ago, I asked my friend who is a US citizen if she was voting. And she had just had a baby and she said it wasn’t even on her mind, besides, what would it matter anyway.
And as said before, if we do see a turnout as last year, we can change everything. We can bring back what we want, and she wasn’t even aware of that until we spoke about it. And she is now registered to vote.
It was such a seemingly menial task but so very crucial.
SPREAD THE WORD
This seems basic, but this is the most power way you can help. I do not watch tv. I’m subscribed to a few magazines that I read. I’m up to date on the news in my own country and try to keep up with others. Still, most of the information I found about midterms was on social media(mostly Twitter. of course). And that’s what brought me in, in the first place. So spread the word, you never know when someone may decide to take action through it.
And that concludes the list of what you can do to help if you’re under 18. You can do these even if you don’t live in the US.
This is in no way a definite list, if you have another way to help in mind, or want to add to something I said, please feel free to comment down below. I will keep updating this list for more.
Until then,
Fatima S
tulips are blue 