Jessica Soto

As I was preparing myself for the Honors College, I wanted to understand what I have to do for a thesis. This was really helpful in giving me an idea the kind of work I needed to do. In addition, it helped me find previous thesis papers to understand what a good paper looks like. I was also given really helpful tips for choosing a topic.

I wanted to learn more about what it took to write a good essay for grant money. I want to travel abroad so I am making plans for that now. It was a really informative experience.

My experience voting was a speedy and calm process. Since we voted on the 2nd of November, the number of places where you could vote early where limited. One of the places left was the courthouse in Fayetteville. When we arrived at the courthouse, there was a small group of people doing last-minute campaigning. It seemed like we picked a good day to vote because there were very few people voting. There was no line whatsoever. The fact that there were few people there was surprising. All the news stations made it seem like voting would take ages. However, I walked in, signed in, voted, and then finished pretty quickly. At the entrance, we had to go through a scanner. After that, we followed the blue arrows towards the voting room. Next, I checked in with the poll helpers- they asked for my ID and for me to confirm information. Then, I grabbed a paper and a stylus and headed towards the voting machine. The voting machine was easy to use. You insert the paper given by the poll workers, and then it allows you to choose your candidates. I was meticulous about selecting the right candidate. In the end, the machine allows you to review your answers. After you finish voting, the machine returns the paper. You take that paper and insert it into the counting machine. Since my mother isn't fluent in English, she took a bit longer to finish her ballot. Once that was done, we left and went home. I am glad that my first voting experience was smooth. I was lucky that people started to show up to vote as I was leaving the courthouse. I feel happy to have made a change this time. I was only 14 in 2016 when Trump was elected, and I had to suffer through 4 years of his terrible presidency. As an American Citizen, I am glad to be making a change for the better.

While researching the candidates and the issues on the ballot, I learned a lot of important information. I had always planned on examining the issues and candidates on the ballot. However, my only problem was knowing where to find information on my ballot. During a meeting with Xochitl, I mentioned that I wanted to look into my county's ballot. She suggested websites where I could download a pdf ballot and a pdf of the issue on the ballot. I then proceeded to download both pdf onto my iPad. The first thing I read was the issues on the ballot. The pdf that I was reading included the names of the issues, information on them, and a pro/against view on the issue. After reading and highlighting the text, I found that I was against most of the issues. For example, issue number 3-Changing Arkansas' Citizen Initiative Process, Votes Required for Legislative Proposals, and Publication Requirement-this issue wanted to "[make] changes to Arkansas' citizen initiative process, the number of voters required for legislative ballot issues, and publication requirements for legislative ballot titles." My main problem with this issue is that it is trying to suppress the ideas from the left side/ democratic perspective. According to the pdf, supporters of this issue say that this issue would keep interest groups from affecting the government to the left, "things [casinos, marijuana, higher minimum wage] that the liberal type entities want to get across our country". The United State of America was created by the people for the people, so it is only fair that everyone in the US gets to spread their voice. Issues that are trying to suppress one voice should not pass. That's why when I was researching candidates I wanted to make sure that they would look at things as a whole, not as Republicans or Democrats. Taking my time to research the ballot helped me become an informed voter, and it allowed me to make my own opinions.

My journey to registering to vote started on a computer screen. I had seen many ads about registering to vote, and I had clicked on many of them. An advertisement about registering to vote online caught my eye. On the website, you would electronically fill out your ballot. Then your ballot gets mailed out. At first, I thought this was a great option for getting registered. However, due to poor timing on my part, the ballot would not arrive on time. The only option was then to go directly to the courthouse and registering there. Before I was able to get registered at the courthouse, Xochitl sent a message on GroupMe about possible places to register. That next Sunday, I had my father drive me to the registering booth. Due to COVID-19 regulations, I had to fill out my form in my car. The ballot looked like the one I had gotten from the website. The form required my name, my address, my phone number, my birthday, and my signature. Once I had filled out my personal information, I handed the form to the lady volunteering. About a week later, my voter card came in the mail. I was surprised about how fast the whole process was. I thought the form would be much longer and that it would require more information. I've done a lot of legal paperwork in the past, but registering to vote has been the easiest. What also made it an easy process was that I didn't feel any pressure from my parents. Sometimes parents like to put pressure on their kids to vote a certain way, but I am glad that my parents allow me to vote how I feel comfortable. Overall, I was excited to finally have the chance to vote for the US elections.