Hello! 

It’s José Miguel Madrigal, a Democrats Abroad Global Youth Caucus member from Costa Rica.  

I joined the Democratic Party on the Fourth of July, my 18th birthday. Since I joined, I have been  volunteering with Democrats Abroad, registering every citizen living abroad and encouraging them to vote for  Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.  

The 2020 November election bestowed us so many victories, the House of Representatives and the  Presidency. However, there was a final battle ahead of us, the path to flip the Senate blue went through  Georgia.  

I knew that a lot was at stake this election. Issues like education reform and climate change, could be addressed with a Democratic controlled Senate. As someone who lives in a country with free university  education at the forefront of climate action, I felt compelled to help in this race.  

I wanted to help in this ambitious goal… but how? I did some research online, and it turns out there is an  organization called Seed the Vote that recruits and pairs up volunteers with grassroots groups. After learning about this, I decided to pack my bags to Georgia and make a change in person and canvass in the  Peach State.  

With Seed the Vote assigned me to volunteer with Unite Here, a labor union, that shares the goals of big  structural change that we need. Seed the Vote made it possible for me to travel all the way from Costa Rica to talk to voters that are suffering right now. Unite Here knocked on 1.5 million doors, had over 15,000  face-to-face conversations with voters, and I knocked on 1000 doors! I am grateful to be part of the largest  voter mobilization in Georgia’s history, and boy, did it pay off. It was hard not to be back home for the holiday season, but this victory made it so worth it.  

Thanks to Seed the Vote, and Unite Here I learned a new set of skills that I will bring back to Democrats  Abroad, so we can turn other states blue in the future. I am excited to continue to mobilize voters, both  within the country, and those who live abroad. That way we can continue to promote justice and peace.  

We will continue to work together for a better future!