By Tori Bianco
“How can we do better as Texans, Americans, and human beings?” Beto posed this question to the crowd in the introduction of his speech before diving into the history of the fight for voting rights in Texas and across the country. This past Thursday, the American Constitution Society (ACS) hosted an event called Why Your Vote Matters with Beto O’Rourke to foster a discussion on voting rights and grassroots organizing.
Beto urged the audience that while the enforced adversity in strict voting practices might push people to lose hope and disengage, now is when we need to work harder to bring them back in. He went on to underscore that we have a responsibility to honor those who fought before us – “No victory is ever final… in a democracy, you stay in this – and what a great problem to have.” With this, he asserted that participation in our democracy and challenging injustices is a privilege and we must treat it as such by not giving up on ourselves and those who cannot fight on their own.
After his speech, Beto opened the floor to questions from the crowd, which launched a discussion about the upcoming election in Texas and the importance of engaging with young voters who do not feel seen by either party or feel that their vote does not matter.
Before the event and following the discussion, Beto dedicated his time to talking with anyone who wanted to chat and taking photos with students who asked.
When asked about the takeaway from this event, Beto emphasized his point that despite the barriers, Texas is the place to be and we must work together to “convinc[e the] people that had their hearts broken by Texas continuously” that there is hope in this fight for a better future.
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