This year’s midterms are particularly charged. As my parents plan to do what they can about the governor’s office back at home in Illinois, I am attempting to educate myself on my opportunities as a voter in Dutchess County. My professor sent out the flyer to a panel happening in Kingston on October 30, entitled, “The 2018 Election: What is at Stake for Immigrants?” and I felt pressed to rearrange my schedule and make the 40-minute drive that Tuesday night.

Professor Jaime Del Razo moderated the panel, which included Ignacio Acevedo of Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, Shannon Wong of the New York Civil Liberties Union, and Emma Kreyche of Ulster Immigrant Defense. The panelists began by highlighting the issues in immigration that will be particularly relevant to this election. The role of the local sheriff’s office, for example, is a ballot measure in Kingston, and the decision will affect safety for undocumented people as sheriffs mediate the access of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to information and resources in each municipality. But as questions to the panel began, I started to notice that my friend and I were the only people in attendance who looked to be under fifty. Most of the questioners prefaced their contribution by saying, “I am a part of [fill in general left-leaning organization]”, and following not with a question but more an expression of general knowledge of the subjects discussed. I felt that these people, coming from places of privilege, were more interested in showing how much they understood than in demonstrating how they were willing to act, or take in new information from people at the forefront of personal and political battles.

After two hours, as the panel wrapped up, I was left with some pertinent information but I still felt the event did not fulfill its intention—namely, getting this information out to people who really need to know it. As long as opportunities for dialogue are circulated and publicized mainly to social spheres of older white liberals, a critical audience of young people—the objects of constant implications by those same liberals to get out and vote—are missing out on information that would undoubtedly make young folks and those with less privilege actually feel more empowered to vote. What did not reach enough people were accounts of critical lived experience with immigration, contributed chiefly by Acevedo on this panel. Young people who attend Vassar, Bard, SUNY New Paltz, Dutchess Community College, or other institutions in the area, and are not personally implicated in these issues, should be aware of strategies for using the electoral process to support members of their communities and fellow-students. Many members of our communities—which includes students—do not have a car or a free weeknight to travel over a half-hour. In assigning responsibilities to certain people, we must ensure that all members of our communities have equal access to share their experiences and to gain information. Young people are implored to see ourselves as the future, but full participation in our networks requires an awareness of these conversations and access to them. The structures surrounding accessibility are vital to consider; there is more to consider than just saying, “VOTE.”