WHY I DIDN’T VOTE

While many people in this country cast their votes on Election Day, I was part of the percentage who didn’t. Now before you call me unpatriotic, I think I have a pretty good reason. In fact, I have one of the few good reasons why people in this country shouldn’t vote. The truth is that if I did vote, I would have broken the law and been charged with perjury.

I am only a legal resident. In other words, I can live in this country legally, work with my own Social Security number and I am able to travel back and forth. It also means I can say no to jury duty, and I won’t be voting until I become a citizen.

It’s awkward trying to explain to people that I can’t vote. It’s very frustrating seeing people like my grandpa who can vote but choose not to. I’ve given up trying to give him all the reasons why he should. Even my grandma, who is also a legal resident, tells him that he should vote. And all she knew is that there was a “black guy and an ugly white man” running.

As ironic as it might seem, I’ve worked for a nonpartisan nonprofit organization for more than a year registering people to vote. I applied because I thought it would be easy money, and the organization didn’t mind that I couldn’t vote. Sure, I was preaching something I couldn’t follow, but it was for a great cause.

I attended the naturalization ceremonies where people become citizens and registered them there to vote. I stood on State Street and Jackson Boulevard in Chicago and competed with other groups to get people to listen to me and register. I had to lie to them when they asked who I was voting for. I would simply tell them I wasn’t sure and change the subject right away. There was no way I could tell them that I couldn’t.

The legal process to become a citizen is really intense, and did I mention expensive? Once you become a legal resident, you have to wait four years and nine months to apply for citizenship. Everyone has a different experience with their process, but it took my family and me 13 years to become legal residents. We had to hire a lawyer, and we ended up paying more than $1,000 each to get a green card.

I can now say I have been a resident for five years, and I am ready for that next step. I am not worried about the criminal background checks they do or the interview to make sure one has a grammar school reading level and a clear understanding of American democracy. I’m more worried about how much it’s going to cost me.

I would have to pay $675 to apply for citizenship, plus the cost of a lawyer. Being the poor college student that I am, I’m not sure if I can afford to apply anytime soon. I just hope that by the time the next elections come, I will be casting my vote.