Vitek himself has carried a homemade, cardboard sign that said “Abolish the filibuster!” to protests for more than two months calling for abortion access to be preserved.

It has become an unofficial midterm battle cry, with congressional Democrats and candidates making abolishing the filibuster part of their platform – including Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., who endorsed two candidates because of it.

Waiting until November to elect a new cadre of lawmakers is a luxury low-income Americans don’t have, said Vitek, the first college graduate in four generations from Walton, New York.

“Wealthy and affluent people will always find a way to get an abortion. They will be able to pay student loans. They will have health care,” he said. “But I’ve grown up in a low-income family, and I’ve seen how a lack of resources can snowball and impact a life.”