Sofía Lumbre, 21, is a nursing student at Florida International University. She was born in Spain to Peruvian parents who immigrated to Miami 19 years ago.
She became a U.S. citizen last year and plans to vote for the first time this Tuesday, Election Day. She registered before walking out of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services field office.
Lumbre always knew she wanted to take part in an election, but three issues especially motivated her: the difficult economy, the Supreme Court decision to severely limit abortions in 2022, and the recent deportation of her aunt to Peru. As a first-time voter, she worries about misinformation, protests, and not knowing what to do when she gets into the booth.
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“I feel like I have a responsibility to myself, to my family, and to my country,” Lumbre said. “I feel more like an adult.”
Lumbre wasn’t expecting her first vote in the United States to feel so personal.
Her desire is largely driven by love for her aunt, who was detained by ICE this past July — and whom she doesn’t want to name to preserve the family’s safety. She was held for a month in a New Orleans detention facility and then sent back to Lima, Peru.
“Ever since my aunt got deported, I’ve been scared,” Lumbre said. “My parents always tell me to carry my passport with me at all times.”Sofía Lumbre, first-time voter from Miami
“Ever since my aunt got deported, I’ve been scared,” Lumbre said. “My parents always tell me to carry my passport with me at all times.”
She also worries about other family members, including her mom, who she said isn’t fluent in English.
“I’m scared that maybe one day, they are going to stop her and she’s not going to know how to explain herself.” Lumbre said.
Her aunt’s deportation isn’t the only issue she is focused on in this election. Issues like abortion and the economy have also influenced her vote.
Lumbre said a woman’s control over her own body is particularly important to her.
“As someone in the nursing profession, I do believe that abortion is a given right to anyone,” Lumbre said.
High costs at the pump are another concern for Lumbre, who recently bought a Honda.
“When I first got my car, gas prices were already $4. I never was able to experience the $3.20 kind of thing,” Lumbre said. “It’s really frustrating.”
Lumbre has found herself researching candidates on the ballot. She has learned a lot through social media, but some information should not be trusted.
“I always double check,” said Lumbre. “I go on Google and search up the thing I saw, and it tells me if it’s true or not,” Lumbre said.
She is cautious about news sources she considers politically one-sided. She believes social media makes it easier for people to only find information that supports their political view.
Lumbre plans to go to the polls alongside her younger brother, who recently turned 18 and is also a first-time voter. She hopes to get guidance from her sister, who will be voting for the second time.
Though she will have family by her side, Lumbre is still nervous.
“I don’t know what to expect when I go to the voting facility,” Lumbre said.
She’s also nervous about encountering people outside the polling place who will try to influence her.
“I’m scared that there’s going to be protestors out there telling me to change my vote,” said Lumbre. “I’m scared to be influenced the wrong way.”
Lumbre believes choosing candidates is an opportunity to shape the future for a country where she recently became a citizen.
“Voting is something that a lot of people do every four years, but to me it’s something new,” she said. “I hope that the country does better in the future. There’s a lot of disagreements going on, there’s a lot of war, there’s children being left stranded because of deportation.”
The story was originally published by FIU Caplin News, a publication of FIU's Lee Caplin School of Journalism & Media, as part of an editorial content partnership with the WLRN newsroom.
