Protesters in San Antonio, Chile joined countless Chileans in an "estallido social", or social explosion, in late 2019. Their actions, including a general strike by major unions, overthrew the old constitutional order. Photo: Vivian Morales C., CC BY-2.0.
Many Americans have become accustomed to hearing that every presidential election is “the most important in a generation.” But for Chileans like myself, these words were undeniably true when describing our election on May 15 and 16.
When we went to the polls that weekend, we did so not just to choose who would be our next mayors, governors, and councilpersons, but also to choose who would write the next constitution—from scratch.