You’re being told to vote in this May primary but nobody is explaining what any of this actually does to your life. So here’s the reality without the fluff. Two names being pushed heavy are Amy Acton and Vivek Ramaswamy. If you only listen to speeches you’re going to miss the whole game.

Amy Acton built her name during COVID running Ohio’s health response. Lockdowns. Restrictions. Public safety messaging. Sounds like protection. But here’s what actually happened in Black communities. We already had higher rates of chronic illness, less access to healthcare, and more people working hourly or essential jobs. So when everything shut down, we took the hit twice. Either risk your health or lose your income. That’s not opinion, that’s documented across the country. And after all of that, ask the real question. Did Black health outcomes actually improve long term? Did access to healthcare increase in our communities? Or did we just survive a moment and go right back to the same conditions.

Now look at Vivek Ramaswamy. Business guy. Talks about cutting regulations, growing the economy, letting businesses move fast. Sounds like opportunity. But here’s the reality. Economic growth in America has never automatically included Black communities. Ever. We’ve been locked out of capital, loans, homeownership, and business funding for generations. So when someone says “growth,” you better ask growth for who. Because if there are no policies that directly fix access, that growth will move right past us just like it always has. New buildings go up. Property values rise. Rent goes up. And Black residents get pushed out while being told the city is improving.

Now bring it home to Columbus. There’s a 911 charter amendment being pushed that would send mental health teams instead of police in certain situations. On paper that sounds like progress because Black communities have been over policed for decades. But here’s what nobody is saying. If you don’t fund mental health services, housing support, and crisis teams at a serious level, then nothing really changes. You just swapped who shows up. And Black communities are dealing with higher stress, more trauma, and fewer resources already. So the question is simple. Is this real investment or just a softer image of the same system.

Now let’s talk about what really controls everything. Money. This election includes levies and funding decisions that most people ignore. But this is where your future is decided. Columbus has been giving tax abatements and incentives to developers for years. That means developers get tax breaks while building in the city. What happens next is a pattern. Property values go up. Rent goes up. Neighborhoods flip. And Black residents get priced out. Homeownership stays low. Families get pushed further out or stuck renting forever. That is not random. That is policy.

So while politicians are smiling, shaking hands, and talking about progress, the actual results look like this. Housing gets less affordable. Healthcare access doesn’t improve where it matters. Economic growth skips over the same communities. And every “solution” sounds good but doesn’t change the outcome.

This is why young people feel like nothing is changing. Because the system is producing the same results no matter who is talking. You’re being asked to vote based on personality, popularity, or party. But none of that tells you what’s actually going to happen to your life.

So here’s the only thing that matters. Outcomes. Not speeches. Not promises. Not vibes. Did policies increase Black homeownership. Did they improve health outcomes. Did they close the wealth gap. Did they create real access to opportunity.

If the answer is no, then nothing changed. And if you don’t start looking at it that way, you’ll keep voting in cycles that feel new but produce the same reality. And that’s exactly how the system keeps running.