NORTHAMPTON — Civic engagement is nothing new for Northampton High School senior Tadea Martin-Gonzalez: she has canvassed and phone banked for Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren during the 2016 and 2020 elections, helped to found the Northampton chapter of the High School Democrats — an organization that she now chairs at the state level — and has been preregistered to vote since she was 16, to name a few highlights.
But for years, perhaps the most commonly emphasized aspect of civil engagement remained out of reach: voting. That changed this election cycle, when Martin-Gonzalez celebrated her 18th birthday in the month before the March 3 presidential primary election and Northampton override vote.
“It’s such a perfect election for it to be the first one to vote in,” Martin-Gonzalez said during the week leading up to Super Tuesday. “Obviously you have the presidential election, which is super important, but then you have the override, and to me … both are so crucial. To have really impactful votes together on my first ballot is really special.”
Neither elections — especially the override — presented black-or-white decisions, she said, and “having things that you really have to think about and research and that will have an impact on your life” makes the election all the more meaningful.
While Martin-Gonzalez was eager for her own opportunity to vote, she is also enthusiastic about encouraging others to head to the polls. Speaking with the Gazette at Haymarket Cafe, Martin-Gonzalez toted a water bottle adorned with an Elizabeth Warren campaign decal and another sticker featuring “The Mandalorian” character and internet darling Baby Yoda, with information on pre-registering to vote written across the bottom of the image — Baby Yoda catches her peers’ attention, Gonzalez-Martin explained, which she can then redirect to the text explaining that in Massachusetts, teenagers can preregister to vote beginning at age 16, which means that they will automatically be registered to vote when they turn 18.
Martin-Gonzalez breezed through the pre-registration process, which she completed in tandem with obtaining her driver’s permit, not everyone is as informed on the process. Even with Massachusetts voter registration and preregistration now automatic when applying for or renewing a state driver’s license, Martin-Gonzalez said that some teenagers may choose to opt-out because they do not realize that the option applies to them even before they turn 18.
Martin-Gonzalez is currently pushing for legislation that would lower the voting age to 16. But until that’s passed, she said, there are many ways for teens to get involved, such as writing to legislators, interning for representatives, writing letters to the editor, testifying at open meetings and joining civically engaged groups like the High School Democrats.
Similar to Martin-Gonzalez, Lorenzo Sorbo, a native of Bologna, Italy, had also been surrounded by American politics for almost 18 years before he was eligible to vote. Sorbo moved to the U.S. in 2003 and obtained a green card, but did not become a naturalized citizen until December, a requirement to vote.
Sorbo, a physics professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, had previously voted in Italy, and remained eligible to vote there while living in the United States. But he often doubted whether he should — though he still had family living in Italy, Sorbo himself was geographically removed from the impact of his choices.
Now able to vote in the U.S., Sorbo said that he is most looking forward to having a say in local politics.
“I didn’t miss so much voting in the presidential election, because this is Massachusetts, so whoever is the Democratic candidate will win the election here,” he said of the state’s long-established Democratic lean.
“Voting for representatives and voting for smaller things, like Amherst representatives for the schools, are things that in a sense have more impact for me,” he added.
Immigrating from Italy to the Pioneer Valley, Sorbo noted that politics feel more homogenized in general — in Italy, which has a multi-party system, it was rare that his friends and family were voting for the same party as him, he said. But in Amherst, he gets the impression that almost everyone is a Democrat.
“Even if I agree with 90 percent of Democrats, I guess it’s easier but less fun to be surrounded by people are all of ideas that are close to yours,” Sorbo said.
“Of course, somebody who votes for Biden is not the same person who will vote for Bernie,” he added, “but they’re all on that kind of spectrum.”
Sorbo wanted to become a naturalized citizen for many reasons, he said, but in gaining the right to vote, he particularly looked forward to the opportunity to feel closer to the community and be able to “participate in political life in general.”
“I don’t mean running for office, but I just mean discussing, having opinions,” Sorbo said, adding that in the past he was sometimes wary of voicing his opinions. He wondered if people would be more likely to dismiss them because he could not participate in the voting process.
At the polls, Sorbo found the process easier than expected, with no folding ballots or need to show documentation. But parts of it were also surprisingly like Italy, he said, where he associated going to vote on Sunday with a family outing. He was surprised to see children accompanying parents to the ballot — something that he said wouldn’t happen in Italy — and it was more relaxed than expected. But despite the ease of his experience, he said, his first ballot cast as an American will remain a memorable experience.
“It’s exciting,” he said. “It’s one of those things to remember when I’m older.”
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.