U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz’s recent announcement that $1 million in federal CARES Act money has been allocated to address the needs of Pacific Islanders who have been hard hit by COVID-19 is welcome news.

The state Department of Health tells us that while Pacific Islanders comprise just 4% of the population here, they make up 31% of hospitalizations for COVID-19. What is obscured in this data is the especially hard hit taken by the Micronesian community, especially the Chukkese and the Marshallese. They are just not at the table when policies are made that affect their well-being.

That is why I am so encouraged by the increased civic engagement I see among our Micronesian youth, and why I believe passing automatic voter registration will help improve access to the ballot for Micronesian voices so that the opportunity is present for them to be heard at the highest levels of policymaking and government.

When those on the margins do not even have the opportunity to register for the vote, when we fail to see, hear and listen to those at the margins, they remain on the margins, their needs unmet.

I see a generational shift happening with Micronesian youth. Their parents could not vote because they are not citizens. But those born here want to be and are civically engaged. I am proud to see young Micronesian men and women learning how to register to vote, and teaching others to do so as well. They get it. They understand that if they do not become more engaged, if they do not pay attention, the needs of the community will remain below the radar of elected officials. And yet many of them are also struggling to make ends meet, working at jobs that we call “essential” but which pay far less than what the state says is essential to survival.

So the task of registering to vote often gets overlooked. The price of participation in our democracy should not have to mean giving up a day’s wages to go to the Office of Elections, or having broadband access.

One task no one overlooks is renewing their driver’s license or getting a state ID. These are “must-do” tasks. This is why the growing momentum of automatic voter registration (AVR) bills in the Legislature this session is so encouraging.

Our elected officials, including House Speaker Scott Saiki and long-time champions of AVR like state Sen. Karl Rhoads, are among those who have authored bills to make AVR a reality this session. AVR will put Micronesians in a better position to access the ballot because those who are citizens will be automatically registered to vote, unless they opt out, when they go to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

Everyone goes to the DMV. When they do, they are registered to vote so that when an election rolls around, they are not scrambling to take advantage of same-day registration. We saw the long lines that resulted at the few voter service centers in the last election. We also saw how well vote-by-mail worked. AVR will help make Micronesians less invisible to policy-makers, and give them a voice.

One example of the power of community support in engaging people is the Kalihi-Palama Health Center’s effort to vaccinate Micronesians. I was told that referrals and the presence of community members prompted many whom the clinic had trouble reaching previously to come in for their vaccinations. I am hopeful that this endorsement of AVR will have a similar effect in encouraging our lawmakers to make AVR a reality so as to include all, even those on the margins, in our democracy.

Josie Howard is executive director of We Are Oceania.