Why do you vote? Young voters in New Orleans weigh in ahead of Election Day 2020
We heard a mix of worry, anger and hope among young New Orleans voters who named local criminal justice reform, racial equity and the environment among their top issues.
By Jack Almeida, Trevon Cole and Jennifer Larino
Thousands of voters in New Orleans headed to the polls in October to cast early ballots ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3. The presidential election isn’t the only thing motivating young voters in New Orleans. For many, criminal justice reform, education and racial equity at the local level are also key issues on the ballot this election season.
The ballot in Orleans Parish also includes races for a new district attorney, multiple local judgeships and an amendment that would pave the way for Louisiana to ban abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court weakens or overturns Roe v. Wade. Still need to vote? Here’s guidance from Vote.org on Election Day logistics in your area.
Lede New Orleans spoke with young voters headed to the polls on Oct. 24 as part of Bike N Vote, a grassroots initiative that combines group bike rides and voting to mobilize young voters. Here’s what we heard.
Why do you vote?
“Because we want change, you know? We want change not just to say we do it, but change for the culture, for the community. It affects the way we live. It’s important.” ―Andrew Picou
“I’m a Black female. I understand what it’s like to have to fight to have a seat at the table, to be able to state my voice and have my voice heard. I feel like the more voices that are represented the better our union will be.” ―Stacie Henderson
“We supposedly live in a Democracy. The way that each of us gets to express our concerns and our desires and our dreams for the way that we want to live is to vote. It’s one small thing, but it really is one of the most powerful ways that you can affect the society that you live in.” ―Rachel Schur
“I vote because I want to bring about change in Louisiana, especially in New Orleans. But also, with everything going on, I feel that it’s my right to vote. My ancestors paved the way for me to be able to vote. With that in mind, I feel like it is my due diligence to go out and vote.” ―Antoine Barriere
“I vote because it matters. It’s our voice. It’s our way of communicating to our community. It’s our way of having a better representation of the things that we believe in, the things that we want to fight for. It actually secures our future. The youth is our future, I believe that.” ―Kaelyn Charbonnet
“I vote to exercise my rights as a citizen that have been fought really hard for throughout history and to make a choice to better our future.” ―Erik Jungbacker
What issues do you care most about?
“Prison reform. I feel like there’s a lot of nonviolent offenders that are in jail for long periods of time… Sending somebody to jail for the rest of their life for a small about of weed is unacceptable.” ―Andrew Picou
“I’m a public defender. One of the things that I’m really excited about is that there are elections for the district attorney and for section judgeships and in district court and magistrate court … For the first time we have a slate of progressive candidates who are running to change the status quo, to end money bail and mass incarceration.” ―Rachel Schur
“I care about equality and abortion rights. I also care about everyone having an equal opportunity to have better representation across the board as far as fighting for what they believe in, to stand up for our community and our environment.” ―Kaelyn Charbonnet
What message do you have for your community?
“We’ve got to stick up for ourselves. We’ve got to get together and make things better.” ―Erik Jungbacker
“Our vote is our voice. It really matters. Make sure you do what’s right. Get out here and make it count and stand up for what you believe in through your vote.” ―Kaelyn Charbonnet
“I’ve seen so many people getting involved. [Voting] is an amazing thing to do. It’s what we have to do. But there are other things that you can do in your community like organizing, coming together and addressing what you want your community to look like. That should be happening all the time. It’s amazing to see it’s happening now, but we’ve got to keep it up.” ―Rachel Schur
Have an idea or tip you’d like to share on voting rights, local elections or another topic relevant to the day-to-day lives of residents in New Orleans? Send us your thoughts on how we should cover our community to Jen Larino at jen@ledenola.org.
