As we await the final results of the election, my message for the Chapman community when considering voting in the future: Voting is a privilege and a right. I hope you did your best to use that privilege, defend that right and continue to do so in the future.

I was an immigrant from Hong Kong. My earliest memory of voting is going to the vote center at a nearby secondary school auditorium in Hong Kong when I was in kindergarten. I was very excited when my mom let me stamp the red check mark next to the name of the district council member candidate of her choice, but I was too young to understand the meaning of voting at the time.

When I became a U.S. citizen, I gained the right to vote. Unlike youth nowadays, I had less exposure to politics and civic engagement when I was younger. I did not care much about politics until I went to college. My horizon and knowledge broadened, and I realized how politics would affect me and the people I care about. I also recognized the power my vote has; it represents my voice in the system that shapes decisions that matter.

This September, the Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the Hong Kong Legislative Council elections will be postponed for a year due to COVID-19 concerns. After a summer of unrest and conflicts over the Hong Kong extradition bill and national security law, the people of Hong Kong’s civil liberties to vote and to have a voice within the system were stripped away for the time being. When thinking of my other home, my right to vote in the U.S. becomes a privilege, and I intend to use this privilege to support candidates and policies that align with my values.

Bringing it back to Chapman, whenever people ask what message I have for students about voting, I always say, “I don’t care who or what you are voting for – vote. It is a privilege, so use it.” 

In the past year, I have been thrilled to see Chapman students actively participating in civic engagement. Civic Engagement Initiatives’ student assistants were excited to host events like “Voter Engagement Lightning Talks” and post-election discussions, which engaged more than 1600 students on voter engagement topics. Since this past summer, many students have reached out to my department offering their insight and ideas to enhance civic engagement work at Chapman.

For instance, this led to initiatives like the Fraternity and Sorority Life Voter Engagement Coalition that convened and generated more than 500 Chapman student voter registrations. We also convened the Voter Engagement Campus Coalition to foster partnerships between student communities, academic departments and various campus departments to promote voter engagement with students, faculty and staff. Civic engagement awareness and participation are growing at Chapman.

With uncertainties brought upon by the pandemic, the presidential election and unrest around the world, our lives seem to have become the “This is fine” meme. However, I see hope when I see Chapman students, along with other college students, continuing to make noise, staying engaged civically and participating in democratic processes.

Political parties in power rotate; beliefs change; opinions transform; but voting is a constant in your civic engagement, and your act of voting is something that should not be contested. Again, use your privilege to vote and defend your right to vote. I cannot wait to see more participation and voter turnout in the future from the Chapman community.