Kimberly Hernandez speaks to a massive range of readers in her piece, “Why My Vote Matters.” Hernandez conveys her point of view on the pressing matter of American voters and their tough beginnings with clarity and strength. She discusses how her opportunity to vote in the elections was created through the back-breaking work and tireless effort of her grandparents. In the piece, Hernandez explains that voting has great power in creating a freer future for generations to come; she describes the labors of her grandparents and how their work made it possible for her to vote for the next leaders of America. Her voice is loud, attention-grabbing, and willful in its demand to be heard; Hernandez executes her point about fundamental freedom and voting beautifully in this inspiring piece.

My great great grandfather came to the United States in the 1910’s to fight for a better, brighter, more open-minded future for his family in the years to come. He worked multiple jobs, earned little money, and struggled to hold a job for too long before he had to go for something a little lower-paying, a little gritier, a little less ideal American. Every day he worked and kept earning what he could because he knew that one day it would mean his grandchildren could pridefully call themselves Americans like he had always dreamed. Leaving a country of poverty and hunger for one of opportunity and voting freedom means more to our grandparents than just their own profits; this great transfer was done with the knowledge of their families’ futures in mind. Hernandez’s quote in paragraph three really stood out to me: “Even if a vote only affects one person, it still matters. It shows you not only care about the future of this country, but also the lives of future generations.” Voting in America is important as ever, and Hernandez spectacularly enforces this point with a determined and powerful narrative about the impact of each voice being heard.