Enrique Peralta, Fairfax, VA

On September 25, 2008, Enrique Peralta became a US citizen. He drove down to the government building in Dunn Loring, Virginia to take the exam. His father, who had recently passed his citizenship exam himself, joined Enrique for moral support, sitting nervously in the waiting room outside. Enrique passed the test, and later that day was being sworn in as a new American.

A few days later, Enrique took the day off of work and drove down to city hall to register to vote. The elections board worker verified Enrique's name and social security number, and he was registered. He got his voter registration card in the mail the following week. This will be his first time at the polls.

At 10 years old Enrique immigrated to the United States from La Paz, Bolivia. Enrique's first 10 years were spent in a climate of political insecurity and economic hardship common to Latin America. For Enrique's parents, the United States promised economic stability, opportunity, and a safer place to raise a family. So they traveled to the US with Enrique's younger sister and brother.

Enrique is 30 now and lives in Annandale, Virginia, in Fairfax County. He holds a degree in Psychology from George Mason University and currently works as a mental health counselor at a crisis center, mostly helping battered women and troubled young men.

Working with those dependent upon healthcare services, Enrique has a unique perspective on why civic participation is important, and feels that it is critical that Americans build a better tomorrow by voting and making their voices heard at the polls.

“As a citizen I feel it’s my responsibility to vote, and that voting and patriotism are one and the same,” said Enrique. "I would vote regardless of the year and the particular issues that seem preeminent."

For Enrique, becoming an American meant giving up his Bolivian citizenship and also leaving behind old allegiances in exchange for a new life and identity.

“I feel as if it is my duty to vote, and that it takes all of us to hold our government accountable. I don’t understand why voting is so complicated. We can’t call America a democracy while at the same time trying to discourage voter participation,” said Enrique.

For more information on this story, please call (202)518-6186.