LaJuan Allen, 28, of Pawtucket is advocating to lower the voting age to 16 years old. Here’s what he had to say about what’s motivating him to vote this election year.
I currently serve as the director of Vote16USA. We are a national organization that supports movements, youth-led movements across the country that enfranchises 16- and 17-year-olds and gives them the right to vote in local and statewide elections.
My political background is definitely made up of how I was brought up. I come from a single-parent household. I am a Black man, and to me Democrats have been more receptive to the experiences of diverse communities. And so from a very young age I’ve been involved in my community. I think, when we think about all of the things that I’ve mentioned, single-parent households, we think about, you know, the Black community – we think about things like health care, we think about things like mass incarceration, we think about things like public education. To me, the Democrats have always been the party that has been receptive to providing tangible solutions to the issues within those things that I mentioned. And so I think that’s the main reason why I tend to support Democrats, because they’re much more receptive than the Republicans.
“To me, Democrats have been more receptive to the experiences of diverse communities.”
I will definitely be casting a ballot, and have casted ballots ever since I’ve been legally able to. And so, this election is a very, very, very important one. And I encourage all people, young people, from every demographic, from every background and walks of life to participate in this upcoming election. The issue that’s really, really driving me is the issue of democracy. Democracy is under threat. Our democracy is very volatile, as we’ve seen in the past, and that, I think, is a really, really important issue that I think people should acknowledge and recognize.
Why it’s [democracy] important to me is because I think that, while having its flaws, democracy really provides an opportunity for all people to have voices in the democratic process – whether that be through voting, whether that be through being civically engaged or doing social advocacy.
I am voting for the first female Black president, Kamala Harris. And I’m voting for Kamala Harris because Kamala Harris understands the urgency of this moment. Kamala Harris understands the threats coming from Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans and the threats that they have on democracy. And so this one is a no-brainer.
I don’t think most people understand the magnitude of Project 2025 and the impact that it will have on our country if it’s fully implemented. If folks are not familiar, please get familiar and please use that as motivation to get out to vote.
Go to thepublicsradio.org/2024elections for more of our elections coverage, including voter guides for Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
This year’s elections coverage by The Public’s Radio is sponsored in part by Ascent Audiology & Hearing, Providence Picture Frame and Rustigian Rugs.
