MIAMI – There is a slew of first-time voters who will cast ballots in the 2024 Presidential Election. The Pew Research Center found that 14.7% of all eligible voters are Latinos.
Abby Alfonso is one of them. As a first-generation American, she has been afforded many “firsts” that her family hasn’t experienced.
For her, the opportunity to vote is monumental.
In the days leading up to election day, Alfonso is not only preparing to vote, but she’s also helping her classmates by explaining the amendments on the ballot.
“I wanted to make it as easy as possible for them to understand so they could go out and vote and feel prepared when they do so,” she said.
For Alfonso, many issues are top of mind, such as immigration, healthcare, and education.
“There is a candidate that has my vote in mind, and I’m leaning more toward them because I feel like they’re going to be the one that most represents what I want to see not just for myself, but for other people, other first-generation Americans,” said Alfonso.
Abby voted early, and CBS News Miami followed her through the process as she walked through Miami Dade College, where she cast her ballot.
“A little nervous, especially since this is such a big election and there are so many things going on around it, but I’m looking forward to seeing the outcome,” Abby recounted her experience of voting for the first time.
When you vote early, the Miami-Dade Board of Elections states it’s no different than casting your vote on election day. Once a ballot is completed by a registered voter, it’s fed into a machine.
“So, it’s sort of a hybrid, right? The ballot is being read right there. The results are being accumulated in that machine, and then on election night, all of the results from those machines are uploaded for the public to see,” said Miami Dade Board of Elections Supervisor Christina White.
Abby hopes her vote helps prevent tragedies, provide opportunities, and improve the country.
“These things impact my life because I’ve seen it myself when family members have come to the U.S. from Cuba and struggled to find a good job, waiting months and months for things like getting a job, buying a house, or purchasing a car things that we, living in the United States, need to succeed,” she said.
Up next, she plans to go to college and study pre-law, something she’s explored while on her high school debate team.
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