This Teenager’s Voter Registration Drive Didn’t Go As Planned, and That's OK By Her

“Even if it was only two (people registered), two is still more than zero,” says Daniela, a 16-year-old DoSomething member and buildOn student.

Sure, her voter registration booth didn’t drive the numbers she dreamed of, but she also knows that every vote matters. After all, a state election last year was tied, so the winner was drawn out of hat. Literally.

Daniela isn’t discouraged by her drive’s results. In fact, it’s the opposite. Read more about why she’s more motivated than ever to improve her community, what she’d recommends for other students running voter registration drives in their schools and communities.

What inspired you to run a voter registration drive?

I was part of the buildOn Summer Intern program and we kinda had these Fridays where we either did service projects or did something fun just as a small group.

How did you prepare for your drive?

We set our location for Lake Merritt, which is like a lagoon or a recreation park for people in Oakland. There’s a bunch of people running or just walking, having a good time. We set up a table by a trail and we split up into groups of two. Instead of people coming to us, we went to them!

How did your drive go and what happened? Do you have any interesting stories about what happened?

So for me it was a little bit frustrating and difficult, mostly because it was completely out of my comfort zone. I kept going up to strangers and it was scary. I didn’t know how they would react and whenever I talked to someone, they were either already registered to vote or they were unable to register to vote because of the requirements. It was nerve-racking but by the end of it it was fun, and I built up a lot of confidence!

How did you feel afterwards?

I felt proud of myself since I went out of my comfort zone and it was easier for me to go up to other people. Also, my fellow peer, another buildOn (student), she was shy too and she was able to go up to people and ask them, so I was proud of my other peers because they were able to register people to vote. Even if it was only two, two is still more than zero.

What motivates you to try again?

In Oakland there’s a lot of housing issues and I am part of an organization that revolves around these kinds of issues. They kind of build up my passion to help people facing housing insecurity.

Registering people to vote is just another step towards being able to resolve the issue in your community.

Being part of buildOn too motivates you a lot because you have these mentors who are always bringing you positivity and confidence, and it’s a really positive environment.

What’s one thing you would have done differently if you could do it all over again?

I wouldn’t be scared. I’d kinda just go for it. As youth, we’re showing people who think we’re just stuck in the house all day, not interested in our community -- we’re kind of proving them wrong. The worst thing someone can say is no. At least you’re trying, right? There’s nothing better than getting out and helping your community and showing that you’re giving all of your effort. Once we get more people to register to vote, we’ll be able to solve a lot of issues in our community that we believe we’re facing right now. It might be scary at first, but towards the end you’ll definitely see the results.

What is one piece of advice you would give another student that’s running a their own drive?

Don’t be scared to ask questions, don’t be scared to go up to people. It might be difficult to get out go your comfort zone at first, but in the end it’s really fun and to be able to register people to vote, it’s such a good feeling!

How to do you plan on impacting the election?

I’m hoping to campaign more about issues like affordable housing. A lot of people believe Oakland has a lot of problems with illegal dumping. I can even pre-register to vote too so I can get ready and be set for when I turn 18 and get ready to vote for the November (2020) ballot. And just keep being a part of this larger movement registering people to vote because I know a lot of kids also in their communities are helping other people register to vote. It’s not a small movement, it’s a larger one.

DoSomething.org is the largest not-for-profit exclusively for young people and social change. Our digital platform is activating 6 million young people (and counting!) to create offline impact in every US area code and in 131 countries.

At home or abroad, buildOn’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and low expectations through service and education. Across the U.S., buildOn empowers urban youth to transform their neighborhoods through intensive community service and to change the world by building schools in some of the economically poorest countries in the world. Since 1991, buildOn has empowered more than 2 million hours of volunteer service in the U.S. and constructed 1,329 schools worldwide, with more than 170,000 children and adults attending these schools every day. For more information, visit www.buildOn.org. buildOn has a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator.