Editor’s Note: This column was submitted to the Texan by a member of the UT community.

The University of Texas is what first brought me to Austin in 1978. It was a sleepy college town back then, unlike the growing, international hub for tech and innovation that new Longhorns now move into each fall. However, within 45 minutes of being picked up from the airport, I was eating breakfast tacos and swimming in Barton Springs — so, some things about Austin will never change. That day, I instantly fell in love with this magical city. I knew, like the UT motto, that what starts here can change the world. 

Sadly, students will know firsthand how much needs to change about our world. From the rising costs of living to the stripping away of women’s rights, you are often the first to suffer the impact of regressive politics. One election will not fix all of the problems in our state, country and world. However, voting in this November’s election is an important first step to implementing the change we want to see.

Voter suppression continues to silence Texans, with polling places located as far as they can be from communities of color. As a city, we must do everything we can to help our neighbors break through these barriers and participate in the democratic process. And we must certainly cast a vote ourselves, for candidates — up and down the ballot — committed to addressing the real problems that Austinites and Texans face. 

In Texas, we have the power to elect a governor who will make our state a more inclusive and safe place for transgender children. We have the opportunity to make Texas a place where women have control over their bodies, not fear in their hearts. In Austin, we have the opportunity to pass a bond that will invest millions in affordable housing. With your participation, our next mayor and City Council can continue the progress this Council has made over the last eight years on transit and mobility, climate change and so much more.

Students sometimes don’t fully comprehend the power they have with their vote. You may not realize it yet, but this is your city, too. Together, students form a powerful constituency and, every election, a large voting bloc. Even if an issue like gun safety is not explicitly on the ballot, you should know that who and what you vote for will influence the outcomes on every important policy facing Americans.

Come November 8th, I will be casting my ballot for progress.  

As mayor of Austin, I’ve seen the way voting can empower a community to solve problems. This election, I challenge every Longhorn — and every student in Austin — to prove that what starts here really can change the world.

Mayor Steve Adler is Austin’s 52nd Mayor, elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2018. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 1982.