A vote. It’s the voice that can never be silenced, a choice that lasts a lifetime. 

The sight of Old Glory flying high in the November breeze, keeping this nation held tightly woven into her threads. Her white stars keep the memories of all this country has fought for. Tears spill from an elderly man’s eyes as he enters the voting booth, remembering the brothers he lost, grateful for his country. 

The smell of barbeque lingers throughout the neighborhood, as kids and families gather in backyards. A Hispanic woman grasps her child’s hands into hers as everyone joins around the campfire, singing the national anthem. The woman’s eyes raised to the sky as she squeezes her child’s hand, thanking a higher power for America. 

The sound of God Bless the U.S.A booms out of a Chevy’s speakers. A man in a ball cap smiles as he belts the lyrics, his left arm out the window as he cruises down I-25. His Republican sticker displays proudly on the back left window, like his daughter’s name on his arm.  

The taste of sweet watermelon rolls of a little girl’s tongue as her father laces up his boots, off to another day at work. She can’t remember a time when her dad hadn’t been hard at work; she admired him for this. Her mom kisses her father's cheek, a tear rolling down as she hugs him for the last time in 10 months. 

A dandelion sits in between a young boy’s fingers as he places it behind his ear. Suddenly, the world hadn’t seemed so big and scary. His feet prance in the flower field, outstretching his arms as he collapses into his true self. 

I vote for all these people. For the ones who lie safely in their beds tonight, and for the ones who never made it back home. I vote for all the ideas I believe in, and all the rights I wish everyone else had.