Over the last election season, I have seen the real power of the work we do at Forward Montana. It started to stand out to me after having made countless plans to vote with people over the phone.

I called a man only a few years older than me, and asked if he planned on voting. He said he wouldn’t be casting his vote this election, although his girlfriend had been harassing him to fill out the ballot he had already received in the mail. This was nowhere near the first time I had gotten a response like this, but for some reason it was the most memorable.

I explained to him why I thought it was so important to vote, that young people make up the largest chunk of eligible voters, and that we are the only ones who will have to deal with the consequences of this election for the rest of our lives. Eventually, he understood that whether or not we vote impacts us in the smallest ways, whether it’s reflected in our rent prices, our hospital bill, or our access to healthcare at all. 

This election was incredibly important, as we all know. The most important thing we can do now is make sure every young person we know casts their ballot in 2020. Your support has made it possible for us to get a little closer to that goal. I’d like to personally thank you for allowing us to do the most important work I’ve seen done in my life, and it’s clear reflecting upon this GOTV season that we have truly impacted our state.

In solidarity,
Jackson Lahey
Missoula Field Fellow