Evie Lopez
Managing Editor
Gina Ortiz Jones, San Antonio mayor and former under secretary of the Air Force, spoke at Texas A&M University–San Antonio on February 2nd to encourage students to participate in early voting ahead of the March 3 election.
Jones used her personal history as a San Antonio native and first-generation American to illustrate the stakes of the ballot box. A graduate of John Jay High School, Jones earned a four-year Air Force ROTC scholarship that allowed her to attend Boston University.
Jones noted that March 3 marked the final day to vote in the current election cycle. She asked audience members to raise their hands, asking, “Who here has not yet registered to vote?” A couple of hands raised.
She issued a call to action for student civic engagement, emphasizing how local and federal elections directly affect the quality of life for South Texas families.
“I worked hard, I studied hard, yes,” Jones said. “But we also had leaders who thought each of those things should be possible.”
Jones connected the immigrant experience to the responsibility of giving back to the community. Her mother, a university graduate from the Philippines, came to the United States “chasing the American dream,” she said. Jones then asked students whose parents or grandparents immigrated from another country to raise their hands and fewer than half of the audience responded.
“We were always told just how lucky we were to have been born here, and how it was important that we give back,” Jones said
Throughout the speech, Jones tied high-level policies to local consequences, addressing city issues ranging from immigration enforcement to the removal of academic programs. She specifically mentioned the elimination of a women’s studies program within the Texas A&M University System, showing how such decisions affect political representation and student opportunities.
“If you have any concern with what’s happening at the federal level and at the state level, it requires you to participate in those elections,” Jones said.
Jones reminded the students that Feb. 17 is the first day of early voting and urged them to vote. She said each vote helps determine federal and state representation in the primary election.
“Vote for them,” she said. “If you’re super happy and life’s pretty good, well, what can you do for somebody else? What can you do for somebody that is really scared right now?”
Student Isaac Benitez said the event helped him better understand civic responsibility.
“It was insightful,” Benitez said. “It made me feel better about who the mayor is and what I can do as an individual in my community.”
The event concluded with a Q&A session in which Jones defended her record on the government’s transparency, regarding city expenditures for the downtown development, and also the relocation of municipal elections from May to November to ensure a more diverse and representative turnout.
Early voting starts Tuesday, Feb. 17, and runs through Friday, Feb. 27. A voting location for all on-campus voters will be The Mays Center for Experimental Learning and Community Engagement.
