'I Just Voted For The First Time In My Life And I'm Lying To My Family About It'
Election Day is hard for some.
Rob Crandall / Shutterstock For anyone, Election Day can be filled with intense emotions and fears about the future of our nation's politics. But for those who have families with conflicting opinions, voting can be particularly stressful.
On Reddit, an anonymous user who cast his ballot for the first time, posted to the subreddit “r/TrueOffMyChest” to vent about what it's like hiding your political leanings from the people you love most.
After voting for the first time in his life, he lied to his family about how he voted.
The 20-year-old man says in his post that he "voted Democrat all the way."
"I grew up in a south Georgia small town in a very conservative family. In 2020 I was eligible to vote, but I didn’t and I’m glad because I was a Trump supporter," he explains.
He shares a reality that many children have likely faced when growing up. As a child, your views are largely influenced by the world around you — and when you’re a kid, your family is your entire world.
Your views will be shaped by your parents’ worldview more often than not and will really only change once your social circle grows and you become more educated and able to form your own beliefs — as told by the anonymous Redditor.
“I didn’t really support [Trump] because of my own decision,” he revealed. “I just went with what my family told me. In 2021 I entered college and started actually thinking for myself and gradually started leaning left.”
According to a Pew Research study from June 2020, college-educated individuals are more likely to vote blue (Democrat) than red (Republican).
For this young man, that turned out to be true — but his family didn’t feel the same.
“A week ago I got my absentee ballot in the mail and started filling it out,” he continued. “As soon as I got it I told my mom and she said ‘you better vote Republican.’ I just smiled awkwardly and went to my room.”
Although his political views didn’t align with his family’s, he still feels the outside pressure from his family to conform, and it hurts him regardless of whether they know or not.
“That hurt me because my mom is a very smart and independent woman,” he claimed. “I know if she actually looked into it she wouldn’t support Republicans, but she is just going with our conservative family. My dad is a Qanon believer, but since the 2020 election he has turned libertarian.”
QAnon refers to the far-right political movement that is largely staked in conspiracy theories and extremist ideology.
“I told both of them I voted republican and I will probably never tell them the truth.”
Other Redditors in the comments voiced their support for him.
“I'm glad you are making your own choices. No one in your family needs to know the votes you have cast. They are private,” one user wrote. “Furthermore, no one should be bullied or forced to vote anyway but the way they feel is best.”
In the United States, any talk about politics is bound to get heated, but it’s important to remember that it’s your right to vote however you want to.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics. Keep up with his rants about current events on his Twitter.