My First Time Voting in the U.S.

By: Elián Zidán

I casted my first vote in the United States after becoming a U.S. citizen on August 27, 2021.

As an immigrant, it’s both a tremendous privilege and a profound responsibility to be able to participate in the democracy of this country.

Like many immigrants, my greatest desire was to become visible within the system of my new country. When I arrived in the U.S. at 16, I came as a “guest” under my father’s work visa.

For many years, that’s exactly how I felt: like an outsider, with no rights. I vividly remember one day in a supermarket, when I was asked for a Social Security number to get a store card. For not having one, I felt the weight of not belonging, a feeling that many immigrants experience.

That sense of alienation stayed with me throughout my teenage years. I recall being one of the few students in school in that situation. Most of my peers were U.S. citizens and took for granted the rights and privileges that come with being a citizen of this great country.

After more than six long years, that situation changed. Just days before my 21st birthday, I received the best birthday gift I could have imagined: my Green Card.

Becoming a U.S. resident allowed me to start working while attending college, and it made me appreciate every dollar I earned. I was making just over $12 an hour, and as an intern, I could only work 18 hours a week—literally, my paycheck only covered my commute from school to work.

Still, as a resident, I knew something was missing. I had the privileges the visa never granted me, but I lacked the most important thing: the right to vote, to make decisions in the country where I studied, grew up, and started my career.

That’s why this election is unforgettable for me—not just because of everything that happened during the campaign, but because it marks my first time exercising a right I’d long dreamed of.

On National Early Voting Day, together with a dedicated team from the "Vota Conmigo" campaign at Televisa Univision, I arrived at the polling center to participate in these historic elections.

To my surprise, just before entering the voting booth, I met a Peruvian woman who, like me, was voting for the first time.

Her story was very different from mine. She had been undocumented for many years, but had always worked hard and contributed to the economy, even providing employment for others.

Yet, despite our differences, we shared the same excitement: this was our first time casting our ballots in the country that, after years of hard work and commitment, had become our own.

Like a child on the first day of school, I entered the polling center unsure of what to expect. Thankfully, the staff there guided me through the process.

When I finally held the ballot in my hands, a wave of emotion hit me. I was looking at the manifestation of a right I had dreamed of for so long.

As I filled out my ballot, I thought back to all those years when I felt invisible to the system, when that lack of belonging weighed on me.

I thought of all the immigrants who, today, still don’t have the chance to make their voices heard, to choose the people who will directly or indirectly impact their lives.

I thought of the families separated at the border, of the lives lost in the perilous journey fleeing crime and poverty, and of the “American Dream” that seems like an impossible ideal for so many today.

The right to vote is undeniably a fundamental privilege, one we must never take for granted. Living in a democratic country not only provides us with freedoms and protections, but it also allows us to choose those who make decisions about our well-being, our education, our health, and our social justice.

As immigrants, when we cast our vote, we make our experiences visible and demand that our needs be represented at every level of government.

For me, participating in this election wasn’t just a dream realized—it was a way to quiet the anxiety of my past and look forward to a future where I can help strengthen the voices of those who, right now, don't have one in the face of the system and society.