These girls aren’t old enough to vote, but they’re making their voices heard in 2016
We spoke to eight girls — and their mothers — about the election at a campaign event in Alexandria.
Sophia, 11, was adopted from Guatemala. One day Sophia came home from school and asked her mother if she was going to have to move, “because if Donald Trump wins, I’m going to be deported.”
Her mother, Melissa assured her she is a U.S. citizen and can’t be deported. “That’s hard to hear from your child,” Melissa says. In her community, which includes a large number of Latino families, “a lot of the kids are scared. And we have close Muslim friends who are afraid” for their children.
“I heard it at school,” Sophia says, “that Donald Trump is going to separate all the different colors.” She was told “if Trump wins, you’ll have to leave your family.” Sophia, who wants to be a photographer or a soccer player, is excited about the prospect of the first woman president, though. “It will show that girls can be as important as boys and can do as much.”
She’s for Hillary because “she treats people better than Trump and will make the world safer. And she will try to help other people as best as she can.”
Jessica, 11, sports a purple cast on her arm from a fall in the woods. She feels the importance of this election. “I’m not allowed to vote, so I don’t really have a say. Some of my friends are different colors. I don’t want them to go away.”
Plus, “I’d like to have the first woman president. That would be really cool!”
Bailey, 10, recounts the political discussions she’s been hearing at summer camp. “We talk about who should win and things we hear on the news.” Bailey is sold on Hillary. “I always believed a woman could be president.”
Eva, 13, saw Hillary speak at the Democratic National Convention. “It was amazing! She’s so powerful and confident! I like that she focuses on women’s rights and Planned Parenthood. I do firmly believe that she will win.”
Paige, 13, says this election is all about “girl power!” Paige is particularly passionate about gun control and violence prevention. Her dream is “to have a better community, a better world, with no violence.” Paige wants to be a lawyer, and believes a woman in the White House will show “girls can change the world as much as boys can.”
Molly, 11, wants to be a Supreme Court justice. “To see a woman become president would be a huge step forward for America.”
Jurnie, 12, says Hillary “is going to stand up for people who don’t have a voice. I like that she’s a strong role model.” Jurnie wants to be a chemist or a veterinarian. For her, “to have a woman president would be awesome!”
Says Jurnie’s mom, Shelly: “It’s enlightening to see kids of this age group discussing politics and having an opinion.”
Eliza, 11, wants to be a journalist and is “really excited that we could have the first woman president.” Hillary is “such a great role model and she believes that women can do what they want with their bodies.”
Show your support for women and girls in Virginia, across the country, and around the world by making sure we elect Hillary on November 8. Register to vote, update your registration, or check your status at IWillVote.com.
