With so much of the news focused on the midterm races and blue and red waves, it’s easy to lose sight of the larger picture, to forget that Election Day is a nationwide expression of civic engagement. Voting is the keystone of democracy.

Yet Americans ages 18–29 often vote in lower percentages than any other age group. Why? Because young adults report feeling their vote won’t make difference.

Among soon-to-be-eligible voters, recent VISIONS participants come to Election Day in a different spirit. They’ve experienced community-building on a concrete level. They’ve overcome hesitation and fear to cooperate and connect across cultural and class differences, language barriers and different political orientations to make lasting, tangible change. 

We can’t promise all VISIONS alums will vote when they get their chance. But from what we’ve seen during 30 years of VISIONS programs around the world, many participants go on to embrace a life of awareness and engagement — with voting just one of countless ways they contribute to the communities where they live.

“VISIONS has been the backbone of my pursuit of social work and social justice for as long as I can remember.” —Claire Hortens, VISIONS alumni & program director