{"id":10649,"date":"2026-10-07T10:43:23","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T14:43:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/?post_type=impact_story&p=10649"},"modified":"2026-10-07T10:43:23","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T14:43:23","slug":"why-i-vote-voting-is-a-privilege","status":"publish","type":"impact_story","link":"https:\/\/unitedwaysem.org\/es\/impact-stories\/why-i-vote-voting-is-a-privilege\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Vote: Voting is a Privilege"},"template":"","class_list":["post-10649","impact_story","type-impact_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":2107,"quote":"With everything going on politically, one of the biggest privileges of our generation is having your voice heard.","citation":"Vivian Murillo-Villa, Detroit","topic":false,"program_theme":false,"button_text":"Read More"},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_impact_story_hero","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_impact_story_hero":{"kicker_text":"Why I Vote","heading":"Voting is a Privilege","summary":"A Young Voter's Perspective on the 2026 Midterm Elections.","image":2107,"cta":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"I come from an immigrant household, and it honestly breaks my heart to see the way that my people are being treated.\r\n\r\nWith everything going on politically, one of the biggest privileges of our generation is having your voice heard. We're still able to express ourselves and talk about what's going on in the world.\r\n\r\nI like knowing what's going on with state and local elections because it directly affects us. To have my voice heard in matters that relate to my people\u2014 it would be a disservice to not vote.\r\n\r\nYou might think your vote doesn't count, but at the end of the day, it really does. You're letting the government know, \"This is where I stand, this is what I believe in and this is what I want.\"\r\n\r\nIf you're at a restaurant and you don't want to eat burnt fries, you send them back. So, why wouldn't you stand up for yourself with your vote? Voice your opinion and voice what you want.\r\n\r\nPeople don't vote because they don't fully understand what's going on. The first step is providing information, which is really impactful for people who don't know what they're voting for.\r\n\r\nMy older sister wasn't really informed and she didn't know if she should vote. When I explained what was going on, she ended up voting. I was actually shocked because she's hard to convince.\r\n\r\nWe need to educate people about what's on the ballot. Just looking at a ballot can be overwhelming at times, so it'd be amazing if could be simplified and easy to understand.\r\n

\u2014<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Vivian Murillo-Villa, 19, Detroit<\/p>","right_rail_type":"none","stat":{"title":"","abstract":""},"image":null,"callout":{"text":"","abstract":""},"":null,"settings":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_our_impact","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_our_impact":{"header":{"title":"More stories like this...","abstract":"","link":""},"dynamic_population":false,"version":"1","topic_filter":[],"program_theme_filter":[],"layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"version_4","story_col_1":10498,"story_col_2":10491}]}}]},"yoast_head":"\nWhy I Vote: Voting is a Privilege - United Way for Southeastern Michigan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I come from an immigrant household, and it honestly breaks my heart to see the way that my people are being treated. 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