by Kyli Powe

Democracy is a type of government in which power is entrusted in the hands of the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation by holding free elections. Our civic responsibility as American citizens is to exercise our right to vote. The power of voting is used as a vehicle for democratic and economic stability. My experience at Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign rally in Georgia, enlightened me of just how much more economic and social reform needs to be completed in order to become a stronger nation.

I attended Senator Warren’s presidential campaign rally in Lawrenceville, Georgia. I observed the audience while I was in attendance and noticed how attentive they were. They were very engaged and mesmerized as was I, of how much enthusiasm and passion she conveyed. Her tone and the way she used diction was very motivational. Senator Warren’s expressions alone made it very clear that she is determined to bring about social, economic, and political changes for America and its citizens. She is a woman of dignity, toughness and is not going to give up without a fight. She is very sharp and aware of the flaws of our country.

At the campaign rally, Senator Warren asked the question, “What is happening to the working families in America? Why has it been rockier and steeper for families of color?  She said that the legislation’s decisions are more designed to assist the elites and the powerful rather than the working class. She stated that this was an act of corruption. These policies of the legislature are resulting in major disadvantages for the working class such as; lower labor values, an increase in the costs of living, and the destruction of labor unions. Working class minority families have been struggling due to income inequality. She stated that labor unions built the middle class and that it will rebuild the middle class.

Senator Warren stressed the importance of voting and that she needs our support in order to make the changes necessary to improve American democracy. If we don’t get out and vote, then we as citizens will not be protecting American democracy, we will only be weakening it. At her campaign rally, she talks about establishing a big structural systemic reform. Under this reform, she plans to get rid of lobbying, set ethics rules for the Supreme Court due to its crooked judicial system, lock the rotating door between Wall Street and Washington, and anyone running  the Federal Office needs to release their taxes.

Throughout the campaign rally, Senator Warren constantly revisited how important it is that we vote because we as citizens need to voice our opinions and bring awareness to the government of injustices and violations of human rights. She discussed how healthcare is a basic human right and that Medicare should be available to all. She mentions that big systemic reforms will put America on the roadmap to becoming a nation that fights for opportunity for all economic classes. These issues should urge you to want to get out and vote. The people who can demonstrate this civic duty but choose not to, are hurting themselves and damaging what America stands for democracy. Donald Trump made ridiculous claims about immigration throughout his presidential election in which he said that all Hispanics are drug dealers, criminals, and rapists. At the rally, she responded indirectly to those remarks by saying that immigration makes America stronger, not weaker. She went on to say that the government should spend money on real criminals and terrorists, not on families trying to make a better life.

In Levitsky and Way’s “Elections without Democracy: The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism”, they make the statement that “Under a true rule of law, all citizens have political and legal equality, and the state and its agents are themselves subject to the law. “So, this means that under a true democratic system, all citizens should have political and legal equality and that the government will be held accountable by the law when it acts unjustly towards its citizens. An example of this is the government forcing immigrants to be confined in cages during deportation. Another example would be what Senator Warren mentioned at her campaign rally about corruption in the government and how it results in these policies of inequality; such as the inequality in working minority families.

Attending Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign was a great experience for me because she informed me about the specific issues that still need to be resolved and what her game plan as to solving those issues as the next potential president. Once she finished her speech, I had the opportunity to take a picture with her. I waited in line for a good hour and a half, but it was so worth it. It was hundreds and hundreds of people at the rally and she hugged and took a picture with every single one of us. She had a very nice personality and very interactive with the audience. As we were taking pictures with her, she told us individually to make sure we go vote and that she needs our support. Senator Warren did not take the power of voting lightly. She preached it throughout the rally and afterward. I like that she was encouraging everybody to go out and vote because it is such an essential element to strengthen American democracy and the democratic process. Voting helps bring awareness and reforms to the forefront that can help bring about social, political, and economic developments to democracy. If you choose not to vote then you do not need to complain about the government and its policies because you will become just as much part of the problem, and the cause of why certain changes do not occur. The power is in our hands, so let’s be proactive and vote for the protection of our democratic freedom.