Suba Saty: Why I Vote

My name is Subhaker Satyanarayan (Suba Saty for short) and I live in Fairfax Station, Virginia.

The first time I voted was in 1976 after I became a citizen, and I had just turned 19.  Jimmy Carter was elected President.  Wow, I became a citizen, voted and it all was all during the bicentennial year. We immigrated to the U.S. in 1968 so that really hit home the first time I voted.

As an immigrant, I felt it was my civic responsibility to vote and getting that right to vote was a privilege, which should never be taken for granted.  I learned about the Civil Rights Movement that had taken place in the early to mid-1960s where great people like Martin Luther King, John Lewis and other heroes risked their lives, so everyone could vote.

Voting is important, since it is the one clear thing that a democratic country allows their citizens to do of their own free will.  I encourage everyone to vote in all elections, since it really does matter, not only in the national scale, but in their individual state and local communities.  So, exercise that freedom and get out to vote!