SEATTLE — Does my one vote really matter? Many disenfranchised Black voters are asking themselves that question this election year. But on the opposite end of the spectrum is De'Vonte' Parson. At 32 years old, Parson is ready to vote for the first time ever.
"My grandma's never voted, my mom's never voted, my dad's never voted, nobody voted," Parson said. "I'm the first person to do this right now."
After years of being in and out of the criminal justice system and serving six years for assault and a weapons violation, Parson was released from prison four years ago.
When he got out, as a felon, he had no right to vote, however, that changed in 2022 when a new Washington law restored those rights.
"I paid my dues for what I've done, and that moment was saying, 'You've arrived, you're here now, now let's go,'" Parson said.
But without directions, it's easy to get lost. Parson said he didn't know what to do with the voter registration paperwork that was thrust at him after his release.
"I looked at that stuff and I'm like, I'm going to set it on my table," he said. "Three weeks go by, I'm going to put it in my dresser drawer, a year goes by. I still ain't filled it out because I was scared. It was something I've never experienced, something I didn't understand, something I wasn't familiar with."
Not to mention the fear he said he faced about putting all of his personal information on a piece of paper.
This year, however, he said he's willing to overcome his fear, if not for himself, then for the young people he works with.
Parson is the founder of Pro Se Potential, a nonprofit that helps young people in low-income communities connect with mentors. It also helps people who have experience with the justice system navigate life afterward.
"As a community leader, it's our responsibility to show our young people that it's time for us to come together and participate in civic engagement," Parson said. "Because it's important and if we're not going to participate in our community, nobody is going to speak up for us, we will remain unheard."
Professor Charles Jeffreys with Seattle Central said he encounters politically apathetic young people of color all the time.
"They don't really believe that their vote makes a difference, and so why don't I vote, I'm not worth voting," Jeffreys explained. "I think that young generation people in the 20s and 30s in particular, they have a lot of power they don't know about."
But apathy isn't the sole issue here. Systemic barriers pose greater challenges to the Black electorate eager to vote.
According to researchers at BYU, those barriers include stricter voter ID laws, policies that prevent formerly incarcerated people from voting and a lack of civic education.
"Most people aren't going to stop and ask you, hey did you vote? Do you know how to? Do you need help?" Parson said. "So you just kind of become unheard. You know what I mean? Or remain unheard."
Nick Jeffreys with the Urban League is trying to answer those questions, educating and registering as many young people to vote as he can this year.
"You can choose to vote, or you can choose not to vote, but I would really like that you vote, because the more people that vote, the greater sample size we see of what people in this community, in this state, in this country," Nick said.
According to Pew Research, Black Americans are projected to account for 14% of eligible voters in the US this November. In Washington state in 2022, Black eligible voters made up 5% of the state's total. This year, that percentage is expected to be bigger.
This brings us back to De'Vonte' who will bring one more vote, that Democracy can count on.
"I believe that my vote carries more power now, now that I have more understanding and that I have a lot of people that are rocking with me," Parson said. "And I believe that my vote can inspire other people to vote."
On a day when Parson was giving a talk to the students at Garfield High School for Black History Month, he met up with Nick Jeffreys from the Urban League to officially register to vote. Just outside of the auditorium where Parson spoke inspirational words, he took pen to paper and filled out his registration.
That moment of his signing on the line is one Parson said he's waited for, his entire adult life.
"I'm about to be a registered voter after this," Parson said.
"I'm proud of you, man," Nick said in response.
The Urban League is working daily to register voters. If you are looking to become registered or would like to find out more information about the Urban League's efforts, you can find information here.