I’ve lived my whole life in New Hampshire, a state where politicians fly in and spend millions of dollars on each election cycle. But despite being charmed and courted by every presidential candidate, I’ve never voted before in my life.

I never saw the value. I never heard a politician speak to the issues that would change my life, or that of my kids, lives for the better.

But this year, that’s changing. On Tuesday, I’ll be voting for the first time in the New Hampshire primary. And just days before then, I’ll be taking another big step – I will be going on strike for the first time with other fast-food workers all across the state.

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It’s no coincidence that I’m doing both things for the first time this year: after working in the fast-food industry for a decade, my pay stuck between $7.25 and $8 an hour, I finally believe that by speaking out, it’s possible to make a difference both at my job and at the polls.

I believe this because politicians are starting to hear workers’ cries for $15 an hour and union rights, and they’re using their power to change our lives. As the Fight for $15 has swept the country, I’ve been inspired by how other fast-food workers have spoken out and won real change.

Just an hour away in Boston, fast-food and other underpaid workers have been striking for $15 and union rights. And in just a short period of time, they’ve won amazing changes.

Boston-area hospitals like Boston Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital have raised pay to $15 per hour in recent months. In July, home care workers across Massachusetts won an unprecedented statewide $15-per-hour minimum wage through a contract negotiated with Governor Charlie Baker. And in January, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh called for raising the city’s minimum wage to $15 during his State of the City address in January.

The fight has also been successful for New York’s fast-food workers. But the victory only came after thousands of fast-food workers went on strike for better jobs and better lives.

These changes need to happen in New Hampshire too. After all these years I haven’t seen more than a 75-cent pay raise. On the $8 hourly wage I make at KFC, I try to support my three kids, who are four, two and 10 months old. That small salary goes towards rent, food, diapers, a babysitter and endless jackets, shoes and pants to just keep my kids clothed during their endless growth spurts.

My hours and shifts are so erratic that I never know what my take-home pay will be. Some weeks I work 40 hours, but other weeks I only get 17. I don’t have a set schedule; I’m at KFC whenever they need me. That means I may work until 1am to close a store, only to return early in the morning to open it. There are days when the only moment I see my kids is while they are asleep.

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And I’m not alone. Nearly half of all workers in New Hampshire are paid less than $15 an hour today.

Before the Fight for $15, I felt that no one listened to workers like me. As far as I was concerned, there was a president and a vice president. I didn’t have the luxury of time to sit down and read about candidates, and frankly I didn’t care who was on what side of the aisle.

Not anymore.

Every four years, politicians flock to my hometown trying to win over undecided voters like me. This year, I’ll make it simple: tell me that you hear my struggle to provide for my children. Tell me that you are committed to changing my future – and the future of my family. If you can do that, I might just cast a vote in your name.