“Why does voting matter?” a kid asks in a new ad from the American Federation of Teachers. And, remote-learning style, a series of teachers offer their answers.
Those answers range from the totally nonpartisan (“Voting matters because the future matters. When I vote, I’m trying to improve the world that my children and my students are going to have to live in”) to the pointed-but-no-names-mentioned (“Vote because it’s time to take back our democracy, it’s time to believe in science again, and it’s time to put education first”).
It may sound cheesy to say—and improbable, since we are talking about a political ad, after all—but it’s beautiful to hear from these teachers during such a hard time, coming to us via the screens so many of them are teaching through these days.
Child: Why does voting matter?
Rickey, middle school history teacher, Cincinnati, Ohio: “Voting matters because the future matters. When I vote, I’m trying to improve the world that my children and my students are going to have to live in.”
Brenda, teaching assistant, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: “Vote because we need a president who cares about all of us.”
Nick, high school math teacher, Pottstown, Pennsylvania: “Vote because it’s time to take back our democracy, it’s time to believe in science again, and it’s time to put education first.”
Jeff, special education teaching assistant, Macomb County, Michigan: “Vote because we don’t want to go back to a system that denies individuals health care due to preexisting conditions.”
Maggie, pre-K teacher, Cincinnati, Ohio: “Vote because justice is on the ballot.”
Erika, high school English teacher, Orlando, Florida: “Whether you vote early, whether you vote by mail, or whether you wait and vote on Election Day, just make sure that you vote.”
Brenda: “If your vote didn’t matter, they wouldn’t try so hard to take it away from you.”
Rickey: “Your vote matters because you matter, your voice matters, and you deserve to be heard.”
All: “Vote because our democracy depends on it.”
2020 Victory: Make phone calls to swing state voters with the Biden-Harris campaign
Sign up with the Biden-Harris campaign to make phone calls to swing state voters from the comfort of your own home, no matter where you live. All you need is a personal computer, a quiet place in your home where you can make phone calls, and a desire to kick Donald Trump out of office.
