Civic Change: Signed, Sealed, and Delivered by Harmonie

Civic Change: Signed, Sealed, and Delivered by Harmonie - April 2022 Scholarship Essay

Dear Zeynep, …

The letters all began the same. Word after word, carefully crafted as to convince potential, unregistered voters to turn out and vote in the upcoming elections. Though each envelope was written similarly, the same stamps meticulously pasted in the upper-right corner, my experiences authoring hundreds of letters varied by the day. Monday overflowed with Billy Joel and backyard authoring, while Wednesday brought excitement with Zoom faces of friends in Generation Ratify.

It was through handwritten notes, sent to those whom I had never met from states across the country, that I discovered the value of connection. Even simple letters created ties between me and Keisha, a mother from Georgia, Eric, a college student in New York, and Sanjeev, a parent in Oregon. Over the course of three months leading up to the 2020 election, these ties branched across the United States, both to those I corresponded with and those I wrote letters alongside.

Though I was only one person combatting an epidemic of civic apathy, my relatively small efforts had a resounding effect when combined with advocates nationally. Voting increased by 5 percentage points from 2016, with solely Asian voting jumping up by 10%, according to the US Census. My efforts may have only affected a few; however, when combined with others, an incredible shift in voting trends occurred across the country. This collective power flourished beyond letters, into phone calls, texts, Zooms, and rallies. The power of the 2020 election was astounding, and carrying this momentum into future years is a pressing motivator of mine.

I may not remember each individual note sent, but what has stuck with me beyond this time is the sense of interconnectivity shared issues produce and the importance of individual advocacy. The next political movement may begin with just a simple letter.