'To me, it’s a big step' Refugee votes for the first time in Twin Falls

MAGIC VALLEY — For one Magic Valley resident, walking through the doors of the Twin Falls County building to cast her vote for the first time meant having her voice heard.

Amra Mujiz was born in Bosnia. When she was two months old, her family fled to the U.S. and resettled in Twin Falls.

“To me, it’s a big step. It really is. I’m just thankful that I can take this opportunity as my first time as an American citizen and just vote. It just feels so good. I just have this good energy and me, and it’s like just do it. What is there to be scared about?" Mujiz said.

Amra was the first in her family to vote and hopes her family is inspired to follow in her footsteps.

“Coming here and realizing what I have and what I didn’t have there or what my parents didn’t have there. Coming to the United States, it’s like Woah, you have food, you have a home. You have so many things you can be thankful for,” Mujiz said.

Voting is one of the things Amra says she is grateful for, and wanting to see change is what inspired her to want to vote.

“I want to do better as a human being, and I am sure everyone else does too, but I’ve started to realize that change is the number one thing that we need in today’s society, by doing that, all we can do is vote," Mujiz said.

Being able to cast her vote for the first time this morning, Amra says, made her feel like her voice mattered more than ever before.

“I thought for the longest time, oh my voice doesn’t matter. They don’t care what we think. For refugees as well, they don’t care, but no my voice does matter. And I feel like that’s the one thing I want to open up to everyone in this community," Mujiz said.

Amra hopes to inspire others to realize how important it is to vote and make your voice heard.

“Let your voices be heard. It matters. It really does, and even if you don’t think it does, it does. Get out there and show them who you are and just vote because it really can make a really big change even just one simple vote can make a change," Mujiz said.

Early voting in Twin Falls started on Monday and goes until October 29. Twin Falls residents will be voting for two people to fill seats 1 and 5 of the Twin Falls City Council. For more information on the candidates visit the Twin Falls website.