by Julia Torres Barden, special correspondent

For U.S. citizens, voting in a November election is as fundamental as filing Federal taxes in April.  Fazila Coovadia became a U.S. citizen this past summer which provides her with a first-time opportunity to vote in an American election. “The first vote I ever cast was for Nelson Mandela when Apartheid ended,” she said, recalling her first time voting in her native country of South Africa. “It was a milestone, and I find myself here at another milestone, in the middle of another big election.”

Lawrence C. Haake III, Chesterfield County General Registrar, offers the following advice to first-time and veteran voters. “New voters do not have an orientation period to slowly integrate themselves into the process. New voters, like “veteran” voters, will likely encounter parking problems, long lines, short-tempered people, and laws and regulations that sometimes seem illogical. My best advice to new [and veteran] voters is to expect these challenges when they set out to vote and thereby be mentally prepared for them,” he said.

Haake added, “If these situations are not experienced, then they will have had a better day than they expected. If they are experienced, then their voting experience would have been no worse than they expected. All voters should be patient and be appreciative that they have the right and privilege to vote. Nothing of any substance comes easily.”

As someone who has lived and traveled all over the world, Fazila highlights that she will vote for “the person and not the party” and that the issues mattering most to her are the economy, healthcare, education and foreign policy.

The 37-year-old mother with young children, Fazila is especially concerned about healthcare.  “When I came here, the first thing I noticed was the health-care system. When we lived in England, we didn’t pay for anything,” she said.

According to the National Health Service in England, which was established in 1948 to make healthcare free for its residents, the money to pay for the system comes directly from taxation.
The NHS budget for the last fiscal year “equates to a contribution of £1,500 for every man, woman and child in the UK.”

However, for Fazila, the pediatric wellness checkup for her children in the U.S. was sticker shock. “I nearly fell on my back during our first [local] doctor visit while seeking regular immunizations for my children that cost $300!”

Another policy change the U.S. citizen would like to see enhanced is more emphasis on math and science in the education system. Those issues are her focus in the upcoming election.

Reflecting on the hand-counted, paper ballots placed in a locked box for the South Africa election, Fazila is prepared for casting her vote here in Chesterfield County even with the anticipated lengthy lines. The mother of four said, “I’ll bring my kids and I’ll try to go [to the polls] when it’s not busy. But, even if it means standing in line all day, I will cast my vote.”

Given her global experience, where she has sometimes had to sit on the sidelines because she was not allowed to vote, she wonders why some Americans choose not to cast their ballots. “I don’t understand people that don’t vote. It’s not just your right and your privilege, it’s your duty” she said.