Arizona Votes: Mari Bigler

Mari Bigler, 33, considers herself a liberal Arizona voter. Bigler says she knows her vote makes a difference, and she hopes her vote will be one of many to ensure that this the last year Donald Trump is president.

“I don’t like our country under his administration,” she said. For Bigler, the presidential election the most important issue on her ballot.

Bigler fears social programs will go away under Republican-elected officials. These are programs she connects with personally—she relied on them, and she believes it’s important that they be available for future generations.

After this election, Bigler hopes to see a functional government focused on creating regulations to create water safety, environmental justice, and humane policies.

“One of the state propositions on my ballot I am also following is recreational marijuana (Prop. 207),” she said, “I don’t use, and have no problems with others using,” she adds, hoping the proposition passes to decriminalize marijuana in the hopes of preventing one aspect of the disproportionate targeting communities of color.

Emphasizing her vote matters to these communities, adding, “If Trump wins again, it may not affect me as much, but will affect others,” Bigler said, emphasizing the importance her vote is to communities she cares about.

For Bigler, showing up to drop off her ballot is her way of “speaking up” to support communities.

Continue Reading: Millions of Arizonans are Voting This Election. Here Are Their Stories.