How I Voted at 16-Years-Old

Noa Apple

PHOENIX, ARIZONA—Many young people are beginning to realize that their voices have an impact in our society. Movements such as March For Our Lives and the climate change walkouts around the world were started and organized by teenagers. The leaders of these movements have helped create the pathway for more teens so speak out and get involved. In my own social circles, I see so many people on social media who post things about activism on their Instagram stories. They post pictures telling their friends to make sure to vote and about other issues they care about. I find it incredible that young people are sharing their opinions with the world because they realize that what they think actually matters. And I agree. I worked as a volunteer intern for a coordinated campaign out of Arizona in the 2020 election for 5 months, and it was an incredible experience. Not only did I phonebank, but I trained hundreds of volunteers on how to make calls and helped them make sure that everyone in our county voted. Our voter turnout was around 80%, which is astounding, and we flipped my county and my state. 

Over the course of those five months, I tried to recruit other teenagers to phonebank with the campaign. I was disappointed that only two people actually signed up and completed a shift out of the many people I contacted. I couldn’t help but conclude that they thought that because they were too young to vote, they couldn’t make an impact. But they can. This was something I learned first hand while working with the campaign. 

It was Tuesday evening on November 3rd and I had been phonebanking for three hours all while leading the ‘Trained Volunteer’ phonebanks. Not many people were answering their phones, but one young man did. At 6:15, he picked up the phone when voters had to be in-line at the polls by exactly 7pm. He told me that he wasn’t going to vote and didn’t know anything about the candidates. I asked for 5 minutes of his time to convince him to vote and to vote for a certain candidate for U.S. Senate and another for President. We talked about his three most important issues: racial justice, immigration, and climate change. I talked and talked for five straight minutes, and after the time was up I said, “Are you convinced yet?” It was quiet on his end before he faintly responded and said, “Where do I vote and what do I need to bring?” I was shocked yet utterly ecstatic. We found his nearest polling location and went over what he needed to bring and do, and the call was over by 6:25.

When I hung up and continued making calls to remind people to stay in line when polls closed at 7 pm, I worried that maybe he just said he was convinced to get me to hang up. Was he actually going to vote? Was I compelling enough? Is there something I should have said differently? I doubted my ability to use my voice and to make a difference. But all of my worries faded away at 6:55pm. Five minutes before the polls closed, I got a text message from an unknown number with a photo and a message. It was a picture of an Arizona ‘I Voted’ sticker. The message said, “Thank you for convincing me.”

I started tearing up and I responded to him to thank him for voting and for making his voice heard. He said that he wasn’t going to vote, but I had convinced him. 

I had convinced him.

To be able to see a direct result of me making calls for an election in which I wasn’t even old enough to vote was very motivating for me and it still is. In these past few years, I’ve discovered just how passionate I am about advocating for and encouraging everyone to use their voice and have a say in our society. The fact that there are people in this world who are attempting to silence others increases the importance of us fighting back and not letting ourselves or anyone be silenced.

No matter how old you are, you can use your voice too. You can lobby, attend protests, start clubs at school, volunteer with political campaigns, start movements, or do whatever you can to enact change. Even if you don’t always see the immediate result of your actions, every single impact that you make will go towards changing the world. 

You have a voice, and your voice can change the world. 

Don’t be afraid to use it. Ever.