Junie Joseph: Your voice is your vote
Boulder City Council Member Junie Joseph speaks about the power of activism and using your voice at the polls.
“Ask yourself, four years from now, will you regret the fact you didn’t do anything at all, or you did not vote?” asked Junie Joseph, a Boulder City Council Member and law student at the University of Colorado Boulder, to a virtual crowd of Zoom attendants on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
“Or will you be proud you voted and you told your friends to vote?” Joseph continued. “In other countries around the world, people are dying because they cannot go to the polls. Here, we have access to the polls.”
According to the United States Census Bureau, 18- to 29-year-olds reported the lowest voter turnout (46.1%) in 2016. However, compared to 2012, 18- to 29-year-olds reported voter turnout increased by 1.1%.
In hopes of increasing young voter turnout in 2020, CMCI hosted the virtual event, “CMCI First-Years: Will You Use Your Voice at the Polls this November?”
Dr. Sara Jamieson, senior instructor of CMCI CommRAP and professor of cultural anthropology and gender studies, organized this event because she has witnessed the passion and interest first-year students have for civic engagement in her classroom. In the first few weeks of class, Jamieson’s students have actively participated in discussions about complex issues such as human rights, social injustice and environmental protection.
“I want these young people, who have a degree of privilege in higher education, to not waste this opportunity,” Jamieson said. “Casting your first ballot in the presidential election is a huge rite of passage into this American citizenship— for better or for worse.”
To highlight the importance of voting, Jamieson invited Joseph, the keynote speaker, to share her journey in government thus far and insight into the power of voting and activism.
At a young age, Joseph became passionate about human and civil rights. She was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and moved to the United States at the age of 14. Joseph’s experience growing up in Haiti ignited her interest in politics, as she witnessed “poverty firsthand and a dysfunctional government system,” inspiring her “to make the world, [her] world, a little bit better.”
“When I was younger, I would say, ‘I want to make the world a better place,’ and I realized that the only thing you can change is your neighborhood,” Joseph said. “The only thing you can change is yourself.”
Upon her acceptance into the CU law program and before her move to Boulder in 2018, Joseph worked as a Human Rights Officer within the United Nations Mission to the Central African Republic. Joseph served internally displaced persons in the region of Bria, where she faced a “harsh lifestyle” of political turmoil and fear of personal security.
Joseph realized that she did not want to give up on a life of advocacy when arriving in Boulder. She ran for a seat on the Boulder City Council and was elected into office on Nov. 5, 2019. She credits her elected position to Boulder citizens, including CU Boulder students, who voted for her. For young voters and first-time voters, Joseph explains that their voice matters.
Inspired by Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, who was an advocate for civil rights and died in July 2020, Joseph told students that voter disenfranchisement exists because votes matter— a message Lewis often shared.
Voting can seem overwhelming, especially to first-time voters. To Joseph, the first step is fact-checking and self-educating about candidates and their platforms, especially because there is “a lack of accountability online.”
The advice resonated with Emma Stribley, an undergraduate attendee who said, “I think it is important to educate yourself because a lot of people on both sides [of the political spectrum] aren’t educated and make broad claims.”
With the rise of social media, Stribley understands the amount of misinformation and disinformation circulating in mainstream media. Actively seeking out a variety of news sources and public figures can help students compare stories and find the truth.
Although social media is often associated with the rise in misinformation, Joseph encourages students to continue participating in social media platforms with factual news dissemination. From sharing voter registration websites to information about ballot drop-off and voting centers, such as the University Memorial Center location, students can actively engage with each other.
“If you feel like you don’t need to vote, then you have complete privilege,” said Emma Birdwell, an undergraduate attendee.
Birdwell believes that the polarization of the two-party system has created opportunities for younger citizens to start a conversation. For her, the most important part of voting is self-education, emphasizing the importance of citizen participation.
“Even if [policy] doesn’t directly affect you, it is affecting people around you and people you love,” she continued. “It is about ethics and morality.” Click here to learn more about Junie Joseph.
