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At Minnesota Youth Collective, we envision a Minnesota where transformational organizing is used as a tool to drive equitable, community-led change to systematic problems. We envision a Minnesota where knowledge is freely shared between community members and not gate kept by institutions of power. From SNCC to antiwar movements to divestment campaigns, youth have long been at the forefront of change in our country! Young people are the largest voting bloc in our state, provide boots on the ground for many local organizing efforts, and demonstrate remarkable ways of caring for each other while we work to change the world. Young people are the future of Minnesota, and the future is now!

For us, voting is one tool in the toolbox for creating change. Democracy is a tool. One that is critical in the fight for life, freedom, and liberation. We know that one candidate won’t save us. Just as not one person, alone, can single-handedly dream up a new world order. Voting is not about finding your silver bullet but building power and holding elected officials accountable to carry your values forward. It’s about leveraging the tools you have to create the change you envision within your community, even when the choice isn’t perfect and the system is flawed. Power, solutions, and opportunities exist within our collective communities, and we know our communities best. We know who is affected by certain issues, and young people are the best ones to dream up solutions. 

This is year-round work. We cannot vote at the ballot box and stop talking to our neighbors after Election Day. It’s about voting AND holding our electeds accountable. It’s about talking to our neighbors about what is affecting our livelihoods and advocating for change. Voting is an individual decision, but organizing is a collective, community effort. Young people are inherent organizers; as we learn something new or are passionate about an issue, we talk to those closest to us and make sure they’re informed. We build relationships better than most and know the importance of taking up space. We need to leverage the inherent power we have. 

This November, young people across the state will get the opportunity to make our voices, values, and visions heard through the collective power of our individual votes. Every level of the ballot affects our lives in some way. 

We invite you to join us at the ballot box on Tuesday, November 5. If you’re not registered to vote, you can register at the polls on Election Day! You just need to be able to verify who you are and where you live. Usually, people do that with a photo ID, with their name and a piece of official mail (like an apartment lease or utility bill) that was sent to their current address.

More importantly, on November 5 and each day that follows, we invite you to build community, reimagine the world we want to live in, and continue to be a part of creating change. 

– Rahhel Haile and Natalie Somerson 

Minnesota Youth Collective works to organize and engage young Minnesotans to build power and develop and support movement leaders. 

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