The Midterm Elections of 2018 were important for a variety of reasons. We saw a wave of women, LGBT, and people of color elected into office. While it was not the Blue Wave many Democrats had hoped for, it was arguably the best worst case scenario and was probably much more successful than the 2016 election.

For me, both of these elections where personal. 2016 saw me, a 17-year-old just a few months short of being able to vote, in love with the idea of a woman President. That was the year where I went to the DNC, saw Hillary accept the nomination for President, the year I cried when I met Elizabeth Warren.

The non -glamorous side saw me being harassed at a fair for registering voters and having to come to terms that as a democrat woman in the area that I grew up, I was just going to have to deal things like that. But, I was doing something important. I was getting out the vote, which is something that, especially now, is so important.

To be completely honest: I almost didn't vote yesterday. I forgot to get my absentee ballot in, I was registered to vote at home because I felt my vote would be more important there. It wasn't until my RA told me the day that I could cast a provisional ballot that I knew I was going to do it.

I was so disappointed in myself. How could I, the girl whose laptop has a sticker that says Political Science Princess, not vote the first election she was registered? So I went in and was ready to fight for my ballot. And, I did. But no words can explain how happy I was when I sealed my envelope and signed my name. For the first time, it felt like, my voice was being heard outside of my writing, and what I share online. It was being heard to a larger crowd, and it was making a difference. Everyone I voted for won last night, and my vote helped put them there.

So, 2016 me would be very disappointed in myself that I didn't vote at home. But, I think she'd be proud to see that we are working hard to better our nation, one vote at a time.