Voting as a Family

Here’s a picture of us voting as a family for the very first time!!! Our son Louie turned 18 in September and was able to cast his very first vote for president in this incredibly consequential election. We voted last Tuesday at the library in Wellington, Florida, and the process was very smooth. The line looked longer than what it was because of social distancing and, despite the Florida sun beaming down on us, the experience was very pleasant. People were enthusiastically supporting both candidates by honking as they drove past the signage and walked by the party stands.

As a multicultural family, bilingual and interfaith, with older and recent immigrant roots, we feel proud to have the opportunity to contribute towards the country’s democratic process. The US opened its arms to us when my family had to leave Ecuador many years ago, and despite the arduous  process of becoming a US citizen, I feel honored and indebted to this country, now my country, to its institutions and its civility, and it fills all of us with joy to have the freedom to cast our vote. As parents, instilling a sense of duty to the democratic process is one of the best teachings we can pass on to our children.