Lauren Basset ’20
With the midterm elections steadily approaching, November 6th will prove to be a momentous day for many young people voting for the first time. This includes many seniors in the Class of 2019 who turn 18 before the voting deadline. Voting for the first time is often an exciting experience, and the politically-charged atmosphere of these elections have only served to intensify the occasion. “Voting is a very important part of turning eighteen because we can now have our voices heard” says senior Annie Rau. Fellow senior Mckee Bond says,“ I am excited to get involved and have my voice be heard.”
However, there is still great uncertainty on how many young people will vote in the midterms. According to The Washington Post, less than 1 in 6 people under the age of 30 voted in the 2014 midterm elections. Fortunately, there are signs that these upcoming elections will see an increase in the number of young voters. According to the ____. a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that trend may change, with 62% of millennials aged 22-38 saying they are “looking forward” to midterm elections. “I see a trend in people older than us really getting involved in activism in their communities,” says senior Grace Smith, “I am excited because I think voting is really important, and it is something very unique about America.”
A large part of the effort to increase the number of young people voting in elections is to increase voter registration. Anyone who is at least 18 years old on election day (November 6th) can register to vote online at vote.gov or can fill out a form and send it to their county voting office.
In an effort to encourage involvement in their communities, Young Democrats and Young Republicans of Episcopal are bringing voter registration to the students. Noble Brigham ‘20 noted, “We are going to do a small voter registration drive, and hopefully we can get some people to sign up and vote. Hopefully, there will be good turnout — I think that there will be.” The drive will take place in the first week of October. 39 seniors, 27% of the senior class are eligible to vote in November. Young Democrats presidents Kaila Lingo, Skylar Lingo, and Noble Brigham and vice-president Nicholas Christos are planning to hand out forms. Young Democrats has become particularly active in the past year and is now an official chapter of High School Democrats of Pennsylvania. Brigham and Christos have positions on the state board. As November nears, an increased sense of student awareness regarding voting in the Midterms only greatens students’ abilities to inact real change.