April 19, 2019

My first vote for president of Ukraine

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It was not easy: first of all, I had to register on the official site for voting, then become a consular account and, finally, go to New York City. With support of the Ukrainian diaspora, especially the Rochester Ukrainian Men’s Wednesday Breakfast Club, I got to Ukraine’s Consulate General in New York City and experienced the full voting process.

In Rochester, I have the opportunity to spend time with the diaspora, communicate with its most active representatives and learn about “Ukrainian culture abroad.” I was strongly impressed by the level of consciousness of these people, the strength of their attachment to their past and their ancestors – even if they have never been to Ukraine. With tremendous tenderness, the diaspora maintains every trace of tradition, with exemplary devotion following the rites that have long been forgotten by many Ukrainians in Ukraine. They convey this desire to their children and grandchildren, who even while being the third or the fourth generation of the diaspora, speak Ukrainian.

These people inspired me. The diaspora overcomes obstacles of time and distance to help implement initiatives in Ukraine, organize volunteer help and support Anti-Terrorist Operation veterans and everyone who asks for help. I live in Ukraine and do nothing. 

I study, amuse myself and “invest” in my future as do thousands of other students. Is that enough? In fact, being an educated and qualified specialist already means doing a lot for your country and for yourself, but our time requires more than just caring about your own future. Today, everyone can influence the development of Ukraine, and the least we can do is go to the polls to cast our ballots.

For Ukrainians, going to vote is easy, because the polling station is in the village/city. For Ukrainian citizens living abroad, it is a long and repeated trip, often to another state. Without the support of diaspora people and members of the Rochester Ukrainian Men’s Wednesday Breakfast Club, my goal would never have been realized.

I do not want to use myself as an example, to shame people for refusing to vote or, God forbid, campaign for a specific candidate. I share my experience, with my radical change of consciousness; I hope that I can influence the attitude of people towards their civic obligation.

Why do people not vote? Because they do not want to support candidates who do not share their values and goals. In fact, the rejection of elections is also a passive choice – a protest against all. What are the consequences of this trend in Ukraine? Do people always ignore the elections deliberately? A significant sector of the population is, in fact, simply not interested in politics or believes that it has no relevance (although all citizens are affected by politics). Thus, we lose the stratum of people who have the power to change everything, but do not do it because of a lack of consciousness.

My voice does matter. It may be just one voice among millions of others, but I know that I have done everything I could. I can regret my choice, but it’s better to make it and regret it, than not to vote and regret it anyway. 

This article is about how I was able to join the incredible community of people who taught me not to stop because of the obstacles on the way to my goal. They taught me that rejection of others does not always mean you are wrong. They taught me to be a Ukrainian thousands of miles from Ukraine. So now I say: my voice is a symbol, a symbol of effort, a symbol of fidelity, a symbol of development. You can love Ukraine through other actions, however, always remember: “Ще не вмерла Україна” (“Ukraine has not died”) because of us.

I would like to thank the following for their assistance: Nevan Fisher, executive director of the Center for International Education at Nazareth College; Ihor Pasichnyk, rector of the National University of Ostroh Academy; and Tamara Denysenko, Ukrainian community activist in the Rochester area.

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