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'A Run for More' shows us what it's like to be a transgender candidate in Texas politics

It's a story of hope, self and fighting for your seat at the table.

A Run for More

Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe is the subject of the documentary, "A Run for More."

When we think about elections, so many of us focus on presidential elections and forget about congressional, statewide or even smaller, local elections. The documentary film, “A Run for More,” focuses on Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe as she runs for one of those local positions—city council member in San Antonio, Texas. Focusing on Gonzales-Wolfe as the first openly transgender woman to run for such office, the film shows how the campaign gave Gonzales-Wolfe a deeper sense of self. I was lucky enough to chat with her and the film’s director, Ray Whitehouse, about their friendship, the campaign, making the film and Frankie’s future political plans.

The pair met in 2016 when Whitehouse was working on a project about political campaign volunteers. At the time, Gonzales-Wolfe was working as a volunteer on Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. She has worked on dozens of campaigns over the years—her first was Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign in 1996 while still in high school.

“The film [“A Run for More”] really came from the relationship we built in 2016,” Whitehouse explained. “I came to Frankie with this idea about exploring ideas around who was qualified to run for office, who is not qualified and what are the lived experiences that fit into those categories.”

A Run for More - Trailer

A Run for More - Trailer from Ray Whitehouse on Vimeo.

In 2018, after growing tired of politicians using diversity and inclusion as a running platform but not an actual practice, Gonzales-Wolfe decided that she was going to run for city council. Of course, Whitehouse suggested filming the whole experience and turning it into a feature-length documentary. For Gonzales-Wolfe, allowing the process to be filmed would allow it to stand as a living document and testament to what it’s like to run for political office when you’re trans, especially in a place that is traditionally conservative, like Texas.

“The kind of conversation I wanted to generate was this kind of conversation around the two worlds that Frankie had to navigate: one world was sort of like 'hey I’m just Frankie and I'm running for office,' she didn’t necessarily get taken very seriously. But then when she tried to foreground her identity as a trans woman trying to do this groundbreaking thing, then you get into the flipside. By highlighting her visibility, the unfortunate reality is that’s what leads to attacks,” Whitehouse said.

The National League of Cities describes city council members as “legislators of a municipality who are democratically elected to decide which services will be provided and how to pay for them, among many other tasks.” Because of the nature of the work, the position is elected, but is nonpartisan, meaning you don’t have to be affiliated with a particular political party to run. Council members serve their most local constituents on local matters, which means they’re serving a diverse group of people with equally diverse needs and interests.

A native Texan, you can see that Gonzales-Wolfe really cares for the people where she’s from and believes that she can have a hand in creating a better place for her neighbors and herself. Much of her platform revolves around local changes she can make, like protecting small businesses and giving them space in the local airport. She’s also a caring and loving wife and daughter—you see a lot of her time at home with her husband Jeff. “A Run for More” gives you a look at how a regular person can make a difference. But also, it reveals that politics can teach you a lot, especially about yourself.

“For me, it wasn’t so much of a balance as it was telling Ray, 'if we’re going to do a documentary and you’re going to be shooting about me, about my life, what it is to be a trans woman—a trans person in Texas, you have to be all in,' which means you’re going to see me at my worst, my best, stressed, not wearing makeup. I wanted to be able to capture the true sentiment of ‘I’m not different than anyone else’ when it comes to family,'” Gonzales-Wolfe told me.

“A Run for More” is not without its heavy moments. During one scene near the middle of the film, Gonzales-Wolfe tells the story of her sexual assault in striking detail. It’s not in the film for shock value—it shows her resilience, and how it takes time to get to a point where it doesn’t define her.

“That situation didn’t define who I am as a woman, even though those men wanted to make it a point to let me know it would define me as a woman,” she shared.

Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe and her volunteers were very busy on the campaign trail.

A Run for More

In another scene, she and her volunteers are tasked with door-to-door canvassing. While a typical part of campaigning, it’s not without its own challenges. But this particular moment will highlight something many of us don’t think about. The campaign consultant she’s working with (who is a successful advisor and friend) has them working from a list of exclusively Republican and conservative constituents. It’s a nonpartisan race—Gonzales-Wolfe and her team are well aware that they have to appeal to voters on both sides of the political table.

We see her walking up to doors and knocking…most doors don’t even open. A few do and take a flier. But then there’s one house where the resident is clearly one of the angry Republican types we have seen on television. He berates Gonzales-Wolfe for only listening to CNN and other “left wing” news and not watching Fox News or listening to the other side. She calmly assures him that she is listening and will fight for everyone. When the door closes, she is clearly rattled by the interaction and makes the decision that the team will switch to phone banking the rest of the list.

Later that same day, a visibly upset Gonzales-Wolfe tells her team about a phone call she has just ended. During the call, the voter she was speaking with calls her a “f***ing tranny,” which understandably upsets and enrages her. Talking to her campaign consultant later (who is upset that the team deviated from the plan of in-person canvassing) she relays the conversations again, still very upset by the interactions.

Sending a trans person into interactions like that can have multiple outcomes. It could be the ones that Gonzales-Wolfe encountered, where people just said things that were unkind or spoke in a tone that was rattling. But things could have escalated to violence, especially during the in-person interaction. By canvassing in person, she was opening herself up to physical violence. You never know what’s in a person’s mind. There are multiple scenes in the film where we see Gonzales-Wolfe and her team repairing campaign signage around town that was torn down because she is trans.

Frankie meets with local trans activists.

A Run for More

The most positive moments in the film come from her interactions with other trans people. She touches on it in the film, but it’s clear that connecting with her transness has been challenging to her in her transition. Running for office forced her to interact with local transgender activists in her community to truly understand what trans people in Texas are fighting for. As a result, it deepened her understanding and connection to the local community and to herself.

“I’m embarrassed right now,” Gonzales-Wolfe tells her husband at home after a trans lobby day. “For the past 20 plus years, I’ve stayed away from…I’ve never been an activist. I’ve been in politics, but I’ve never been an activist within the LGBTQIA community—especially on trans issues. I can’t lie about it.”

Ultimately, Gonzales-Wolfe lost the election, coming in third. Of course the loss was disappointing, but not discouraging. Currently, she is working as the chief of staff for the county commissioner, but she’s absolutely not ruling out another run for office in the future.

“Now is not the time, I believe I will be given a sign when the time comes,” Gonzales-Wolfe said. “But yeah, I do see myself running again, but I don’t see myself running in a nonpartisan race. It’s not local government that has written laws against me or shun who I am as an individual. It has been people at the state level and I feel that is where I’ll best be able to use my skill set as a voice for the voiceless.”

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documentary

When Clara Spera says she has looked up to Hillary Clinton her entire life, she’s not exaggerating: Clinton visited Spera’s day care when she was a toddler.

Although she didn’t know it at the time, that chance encounter was the start of something for Spera.

Clara Spera and Hillary Clinton. Photo via Clara Spera, used with permission.

Now a student at Harvard Law School, Spera says she knew she had to be a part of Clinton’s campaign last summer. She was working in Paris and was stunned by the Brexit vote result. Her first thought the next morning was “If they can do this ... President Trump.”

Spera got involved through a friend who was working on the campaign and rearranged her schedule so she’d only take classes two days a week. She spent the rest of her week commuting to Brooklyn and working as an intern on the campaign’s voter protection team.

“I felt like it was my duty to do anything I could to try to prevent a Trump presidency,” she says.

Spera is just one of many women who joined the effort to elect Clinton. But who were these women? And why were they so invested in Clinton’s presidential bid?

After sharing a “particularly passionate Facebook rant,” Dayli Vazquez was encouraged to “take it a step further and get involved in the campaign’s grassroots efforts” by friends who were already involved with the Florida Democratic Party. The party eventually offered Vazquez a job as a field organizer.

“I had a theatrical ‘aha!’ moment in which everything was placed in perspective for me and I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself if I turned it down,” she recalls.

LaDavia Drane, who worked as the Clinton campaign’s director of African-American outreach and later as the deputy director of congressional affairs, knew a friend who “was playing a significant role” and “decided to reach out.”

LaDavia Drane walks with Hillary Clinton. Photo by Elliot Powell, Powell Photography, Inc., (Chicago).

Shola Farber applied for a role at the campaign’s headquarters in Brooklyn. She believes the campaign passed her information along because soon “senior staffers in states across the country” started to recruit her. She eventually served as the regional organizing director for the Michigan Democratic Party.

“When the opportunity arose in Michigan, I knew I could not — in good conscience — decline the offer," Farber says. "Too much was at stake in this election; I felt an obligation to do whatever I could to help Secretary Clinton reach the People’s House. I took on the role with a deep sense of purpose.”

Zerlina Maxwell, on the other hand, randomly received a phone call with a job offer while she was writing for Essence magazine. Maxwell served as the campaign's director of progressive media.

Zerlina Maxwell shakes hands with Hillary Clinton. Photo via Barbara Kinney/Hillary for America.

“It didn’t take me a lot of time to say yes. ... I didn’t want to not do everything I could possibly do to help,” she explains.

Although these women's responsibilities varied, their goal was singular: help Clinton become our country’s first female president.

Their efforts, however, were not rewarded. As the electoral map slowly turned red Nov. 8, their shared dream fell apart.

“The outcome of the election came as a total shock. We were blindsided. It was as though a dear friend or family member had died unexpectedly,” recalls Farber, who was in the conference room of a law office in Southfield, Michigan, on election night.

Vazquez was with a group of volunteers and paid staff at the Ybor, Florida, campaign office for what she thought was going to be a victory party. “None of us were prepared for the outcome,” she says.

Drane, watching from home, says she "felt deeply empty by the end of the night.”

Spera took what she calls “the most expensive cab” of her life back to her parents’ apartment, crying the entire time. She says she went to bed wrapped in a Hillary for America Legal Team sweatshirt, just hoping for a miracle.

The election was over, but the fight was not. Soon after, they got to work.

Vazquez says she has jumped right back into the local political scene, getting involved with numerous Democratic organizations. Drane also picked up another job in politics: She’s working as the chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York).

Maxwell, a political analyst, speaker, and writer, is continuing the work she did before joining the campaign: giving speeches on college campuses about sexual assault and rape culture. Farber co-founded a political consultancy that “brings the best practices of political organizing to the digital world” and is working as a freelance writer.

As for Spera, she’ll clerk for two federal judges in New York once she graduates. “I am mostly angry for now, but I plan to fuel that anger into action,” she says.

Vazquez echoed her sentiments. When asked what advice she’d give to others who have faced a similarly crushing defeat, she says to take the time to grieve, “then get back up and fight like hell.”

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We're 11 days out from the election. So, let's talk about Hillary Clinton. No, seriously. - Upworthy ›

We hereby give you a permission slip.

If you're anything like me, you've spent the better part of today endlessly refreshing Twitter and Facebook, hoping that the next update will magically reverse what just happened to our country.

It won't. Put that out of your mind.

The bad news is clear: Donald Trump won the election. That's a BFD, with potentially serious, negative consequences for a lot of Americans — women, people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ folks, and those living with disabilities.

There's lots of news out there today. Lots of posts from people you know who are angry, sad, frustrated, bitter, and need space to vent. If that's productive for you, you should, by all means, vent to your heart's content. If, however, you're the kind of person for whom reading a steady stream of lamentations drives you further down the rabbit hole of your own despair, please feel free to opt out. If you need time to process, if you need time to let it all sink in before you're ready to talk about it, that's OK.

Right now, you don't have to read about, think about, or talk about the election. Not if you don't want to.

That's right, you don't have to talk about politics with anyone today. You heard it here first. To help you deflect those conversations you're just not ready to have, feel free to share the images below.

If you're a barista and people come by to order coffee, and you just can't stand to hear another "Whoo, boy what an election, right?" comment from someone who really just needs a coffee, slap this down at the register.

Image via iStock.

If you work at a salon and can't stand the thought of having to listen to political chatter while you're cutting someone's hair, tape this to the mirror.

Image via iStock.

If you're a woman, a person of color, an immigrant, living with a disability, part of the LGBTQ community, or literally anyone else who is feeling gut-punched by the election and you just can't handle another person asking if you're OK because even trying to begin answering that question feels too overwhelming to comprehend, feel free to wear this damn thing on your forehead.

Image via iStock.

This is not a permission slip suggesting you can or should ignore the news forever — or get complacent or wish it away.

We just experienced the longest, roughest election in a generation. If you haven't processed everything yet — and really, who has? — take that time now. Go for a walk. Go for a run. Go for an ATV ride. Read a book. On an ATV. You'll feel better. Maybe just a little better, but better.

The information will still be out there tomorrow, the next day, and the day after that. We still have months to digest what happened and start planning for the next steps to ensure that women's reproductive rights stay protected, that our LGBTQ friends can live here in peace with their families, and that our Muslim neighbors are shielded from hate crimes. There is so much more work to be done. And there will be time to do that work.

For now, you can do you.

And that's OK.

Win or lose, the candidates have an important job on Tuesday night.

It's going to take a lot of work to mend the divides our country will face after the 2016 election. Historically, it's been the role of the losing candidate to offer that first spark of hope during their concession speech.

You don't have to look any further than the past few decades of concession speeches given by losing candidates, messages they'd rather not have had to share, before it becomes clear how important the humbling act of placing the good of the country above one's own ego is for the post-election healing process.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney concedes in Boston in 2012. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

"The nation, as you know, is at a critical point," 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney said in a speech conceding defeat to President Obama. "At a time like this, we can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s work.”

Good concession speeches find a way to express the disappointment of losing an election along with a call to action and a pledge to lead by example moving forward.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images.

Four years prior, Sen. John McCain offered his own heartfelt election night message.

"Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed," McCain said in 2008. "No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

Those words — "No doubt many of those differences remain" — are key. An election cannot and will not wipe away differences; it can only help guide us in how we work to resolve them. After all, McCain and Obama had the same goal: to make America the best it could be. They just differed on how to accomplish that.

Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images.

“I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together," McCain urged his supporters, "to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited."

Democratic nominee John Kerry also made American unity a central point in his 2004 speech congratulating President George W. Bush on his re-election.

"Today I hope that we can begin the healing," said Kerry. "But in an American election, there are no losers. Because whether or not our candidates are successful, the next morning, we all wake up as Americans. And that — that is the greatest privilege and the most remarkable good fortune that can come to us on earth."

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

“With that gift also comes obligation. We are required now to work together for the good of our country," Kerry said. "In the days ahead, we must find common cause. We must join in common effort without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion.”

“This is America. Just as we fight hard when the stakes are high, we close ranks and come together when the contest is done," Vice President Al Gore said in his concession speech after a highly controversial election.

The election of 2000 will remain one of the most controversial moments in our country's young history, with the Supreme Court issuing a ruling that effectively declared George W. Bush president amid a recount in Florida. Though he strongly disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision, Gore conceded with a speech intended to urge the country into unity behind President-elect Bush.

On December 13, 2000, Al Gore conceded the race to Texas Governor George W. Bush. Photo by Luke Frazza/AFP/Getty Images.

"[While] there will be time enough to debate our continuing differences, now is the time to recognize that that which unites us is greater than that which divides us," Gore reminded his supporters. "While we yet hold and do not yield our opposing beliefs, there is a higher duty than the one we owe to political party. This is America and we put country before party; we will stand together behind our new president.”

We may disagree, and we may at times consider ourselves opponents. What we must never do, however, is consider ourselves enemies of one another. From Mondale to Dukakis to Carter to Ford to George H.W. Bush, history is filled with truly great, healing speeches delivered by the losing candidates at the end of an election.

The most notable concession message, however, may have come from Sen. Bob Dole in his 1996 loss to President Bill Clinton.

Photo by J. David Ake/AFP/Getty Images.

After telling the crowd he had congratulated Clinton on being re-elected, Dole was met with loud boos. That's when he delivered a line that remains as important today as it was 20 years ago.

"No, wait a minute. Wait a minute," Dole said, trying to regain the crowd's attention. "No, I've said repeatedly — I've said repeatedly in this campaign that the president was my opponent and not my enemy. And I wish him well and I pledge my support in whatever advances the cause of a better America because that's what the race was about in the first place — a better America as we go into the next century."

As we close the book on the election of 2016, let's remember that while differences exist, we are neighbors and not enemies.

Whether a Tuesday night speech from one of the candidates helps prompt the healing process or the losing candidate deviates from this important historical tradition, it's on us to come together, to work together, and to be Americans together. There's a reason concession speeches have shared common themes election after election: because the message remains true, even as our country is forever changing.

On Wednesday morning, the world will still be here. Let's do what we can to help make that existence one we can all live with.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

As your heartbeat ticks upward watching cable news, as you jolt awake at 2 a.m. from a Nov. 9 nightmare, and as you chew your fingernails to the bone watching volatile election forecasts every hour on the hour, please know: You're definitely not alone.

The Weather Channel is taking election anxiety seriously this year by doing something pretty cool on Nov. 8, 2016.

More than half of us — Democrats and Republicans alike — say that stress over the presidential election this year has been “very or somewhat significant," according to a study by the American Psychological Association. Experts in the mental health field have reported increases in election-related anxiety in their patients.

“More than one client of mine has talked of physical nausea that they relate directly to current political happenings,” Melissa Lester Olson, a psychotherapist in Georgia, told Time, noting women have been particularly affected.

Starting at 3 p.m. Eastern time and lasting all the way to midnight, The Weather Channel will broadcast nothing but calming, tranquil scenery (with zero election interruptions) to "set your soul at ease."

Image via iStock.

So, after you cast your vote, you can sit back, relax, and tune in.

"This election year, American citizens have endured wall to wall breathless tension from our colleagues in the news media," TWC explained, "and our forecast calls for a 100% chance that will continue through election day."

Image via iStock.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we all had a place to escape?"

Image via iStock.

Absolutely, Weather Channel — absolutely.

According to TWC, viewers can expect to see scenes of "autumn splendor."

Yes, please.

Image via iStock.

Also, rainbows.

*sighs*

Image via iStock.

And big, puffy clouds in warm, colorful skies.

A good reminder that no matter what happens on Nov. 8, the world will go on. And we're all going to have to work together to be OK.

We're all going to be OK. (Right?)

Image via iStock.

TWC will also be playing smooth jazz for your listening pleasure.

Which, while it might not be your usual jam, after over a year of election coverage sounds nothing short of marvelous, right?

Image via iStock.

But if you're still reeling with anxiety on Tuesday — even with TWC playing softly in the background — don't fret.

There are other helpful ways you can manage your election stress.

Image via iStock.

You can, for instance, write down your election fears and address them, one by one. That may sound scary, but it will help.

Often when we work ourselves into a panic over who will win on Nov. 8, our minds spiral into a frenzy of "what-ifs" and worst-case scenarios.

It might sound silly, but one way to address this is to actually list out all of our fears.Why am I stressed about the prospects of a President [...]?

Then, think about each one.Is it truly possible that this fear could become a reality? If so, how can I make concrete plans to address this change in my own life?

As The Los Angeles Times reported, you may find that some of your worst fears are unfounded. Even if they are totally founded, thinking about how you can be proactive in addressing them can only help.

Image via iStock.

Elections can be brutal on our mental health. But the best way to not feel helpless is to do something about it and vote.

This election cycle hasn't been a normal one — particularly because many marginalized groups have been mocked, mistreated, and discussed like second-class citizens along the way. (It's no wonder why women, more than men, are viewing this election differently than past years.)

But the election is finally here, and you've made it. We've made it. All there is left to do now is make your voice heard at the ballot box.

Once you have, well, then there's The Weather Channel.

Lawyers' Committee

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights

America may very soon have a female president for the first time. And the historical significance of that hasn't been lost on women like Vickie Wilkinson.

Wilkinson, a 60-year-old former teacher who lives in Montana, recently cast her vote for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton — the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party — and it was a day she won't soon forget.

"I got to vote for a woman for president," Wilkinson says through laughs and tears in the video captured by her daughter, Sarah Dean, who shared it online. "We finally made it."

The video quickly went viral, garnering millions of views across various social media platforms overnight. Although it's easy to understand why the video took off, Wilkinson's emotional experience isn't unique this election cycle — many woman know exactly how she felt in that moment.

Women across America have been itching for the chance to vote someone into the country's highest office who looks like them.

They've been itching a long time.

Older women in particular are feeling especially moved by their ballots this year.

(Of course, many women aren't supporting Clinton, but the gender divide is especially stark this year.)

Some of these voters were born before women even had the right to vote.

"It feels very wonderful," this 101-year-old noted of the experience, proudly sporting a patriotic sticker.

"This election means that women can achieve anything," 102-year-old Katherine Blood Hoffman of Florida said while waving her American flag.

Understandably, getting to cast a ballot for the first female presidential candidate who has a chance at winning is a big deal.

After 44 men in a row, 2016 seems like a great year to buck the trend.

But the fact that Clinton is a woman isn't the only reason these women are excited to vote for her.

They're not voting for her just because she's a woman — she's a woman who also represents them, their values, and their vision for the future. Wilkinson, for example, supports Clinton's plans to take on gun violence, address children's issues, and fight for gender equality in the workplace.

“I think that women do have a particular viewpoint to bring into the arena,” she said.

But we also shouldn't dismiss the fact that Clinton simply being a woman in and of itself makes a difference. Acknowledging the importance of Clinton's gender isn't playing the "woman card," as some like to put it — it's celebrating another momentous step forward for our country.

Take a look at 98-year-old Emily, who can't contain that smile.

Or 98-year-old Estelle, who looks over the moon holding her absentee ballot.

These women, more than anyone else, have every reason to feel great about helping make history.

Wilkinson says she's been stunned by the overwhelmingly positive reactions she's gotten to the video after it spread across social media.

“The wonderful things that people have said have reinforced that I’m not the only person that feels this way," she says, noting the barrage of kind messages from both friends and complete strangers who had similar experiences casting their ballots.

Photo via Sarah Dean, used with permission.

Beyond what a woman in the White House means to her personally, Wilkinson understands the crucial message seeing a female president will send to young people.

“It was equally as awesome to vote for a black man for president,” she says. “But I’m a woman, and I have a beautiful daughter, and a wonderful step-daughter, and granddaughters — I’m so excited for them because they don’t have to look at the world the same way I did.”

Photo via Sarah Dean, used with permission.

“I’m listening to my 12-year-old granddaughter now, and she’s very thrilled that this old-fashioned view of, ‘Oh, well only boys can do this’ is now gone," she says.

"'Girls can do this too. I can do this, grandma.'"

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Lawyers' Committee

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights

U.S. Rep. John Lewis of Georgia knows more than most about the importance of voting.

Which is why on Nov. 3, 2016, he tweeted this photo:

Throughout his life and his work, Lewis has fought for our democracy — and for his right to vote.

The 15th Amendment granted African-Americans the right to vote in 1870. In many areas, however, it was too difficult and dangerous for black citizens to exercise that right. In many states, voting while black meant risking your life.

The civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s led to the eventual passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed racial discrimination in voting and expanded protection for black voters.

Lewis helped make all of that happen.

Lewis (left) with Whitney Young, Philip Randolph, Martin Luther King Jr., James Farmer, and Roy Wilkins in 1963. Photo via AFP/Getty Images.

A prominent civil rights leader, Lewis marched side by side with Martin Luther King Jr. in the '60s.

Lewis is considered one of the "big six" leaders of the movement. In his 20s, he helped organize nonviolent sit-ins at segregated lunch counters. He was instrumental in organizing the March on Washington and was the youngest speaker there.

President Obama counts Lewis among his personal heroes and had this to say about him on the the 50th anniversary of the march on Selma, Alabama (emphasis mine):

Obama awarding Lewis the Medal of Freedom in 2010. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

You probably don't need to be reminded of what's at stake in the 2016 election, but...

It's good to be reminded not to take democracy — and our right to vote — for granted.

There are people alive today, like John Lewis, who vividly remember a time when they couldn't safely exercise their right to vote. There are women alive today who remember not having that right at all.

Voting is as much your individual participation in democracy as it is a tribute to those who have been arrested, beaten, bloodied, and killed fighting to ensure you have that right.

The voting rights march of 1965. William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images

Whatever your politics, you should be proud to cast a ballot on Election Day. And when you do, try to remember those who came before you. Remembering their hard work and sacrifice is an important part of ushering in a brighter future.

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