Dominic Muratore, 18, of East Greenwich is an international relations student at Boston University. Here’s what he had to say about what’s motivating him to vote this election year.
I don’t believe we have a perfect system. I don’t believe that it works 100% of the time. But I feel that if I don’t vote in this election, then I won’t be able to in the next.
Democracy is the root of our country, and it’s almost like, if we don’t have democracy, then what do we have? Of course, I do feel that systems will be protected, but will they be protected for everyone? I don’t believe that. It’s just about moving forward and being a model for the world. And you know, if we’re not the strongest democracy, then who’s ensuring that India will continue to be a democracy? Who’s ensuring that countries in the Balkans will be democracies? … It’s bigger than just one presidency, one administration. It’s our entire history, that’s ever-evolving, yes, but democracy is not meant to just stop one day. It’s supposed to grow. And I think that Donald Trump is someone who will stop it and bring it back rather than expand it.
All of our federal funding comes from the federal government, and whoever is president will affect that. But how those funds are managed stem from the people who you truly elect and who are in your neighborhood and backyard. So to me, my biggest issue is education, ensuring that everyone has access to education, rebuilding our school infrastructure, increasing our teacher salaries, creating a curriculum that’s fit for the 21st century. Those are all things that will happen on the local level. So to me, what brings me to vote – of course, securing our democracy – but also ensuring that my representatives who truly impact my day to day life are fighting for the things I believe in.
Every problem starts with a lack of education, and every solution starts with the progression of education.
Every problem starts with a lack of education, and every solution starts with the progression of education. … I think what really sparked this is that I’ve always been able to go to the best schools – both public and private – and I remember I was taking my SAT, and I took it at Coventry High School, just five minutes from East Greenwich, which is one of the best schools … best school systems in Rhode Island. And I remember sitting at my desk, and the desk itself was moist because it didn’t have a proper air filtration system. There were ceiling panels that were either broken or barely hanging on. They still didn’t have updated whiteboard systems that I use that are electronic, meaning that they can’t really efficiently learn as well as I did or had the opportunity to do. So for me, I think just looking at the disparities between what I got and what Coventry had, has, that really sparked the interest. And I do think that education is … the root of genuinely every solution, whether it’s poverty [or] housing, I think that starting with education is just the way to progress and fix those problems.
I am closely looking at the $400 million ballot question in Providence and hope that that does get passed to rebuild Providence’s school infrastructure.
I am extremely excited to support Kamala Harris. I think that she is an amazing choice for the situation. … I’m voting for her because I think she’s smart and that she knows the limits of what she can get done, meaning that she’s able to compromise to actually get there.
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