As Election Day draws near, so does the opportunity for many North seniors to use their voices and exercise their right to vote at a local and national level for the very first time.
“It’s a first [and] I’m happy about it,” said senior Caleb Lamb. “I kind of feel excited that I’m a part of something. I’m a part of Election Day as a whole as an American.”
Lamb credits his parents’ influence as a major reason for his excitement.
“I think my parents kind of instilled [voting] in me because they see the importance of voting a little bit more than I did at first, and now that I’m of age and I can vote, I think it’s kind of my responsibility,” said Lamb.
For Lamb, being a first-time voter comes with the task of determining his beliefs as well as researching the stances and policies of candidates running for office.
“I think I should, even now, just educate myself more on who is running and what I believe in, [as well as] what kind of change I want to make, because this is a great opportunity for me as a voter for the first time to make a choice that I’m going to have to deal with for a few more years,” said Lamb.
To help seniors research candidates and formulate their opinions, many North social studies classes have been educating students on how to research and determine which candidates align with their beliefs.
“I think it’s great that my teacher Ms. Boynton had us pick our political views, and we saw which ones are lined up with the candidates, so we could kind of look and pick and choose and see which one would stand for what we believe in if we were to vote. So I think North is doing a pretty good job [of preparing seniors],” said Lamb.
The League of Women Voters, a political nonprofit organization, has also taken steps to help students prepare for Election Day, visiting the North cafeteria multiple times to help students register to vote.
“I believe that democracy is a responsibility of everyone who’s an eligible voter, and there’s no time like now to get involved in the political arena, because politics affect every part of your life,” said Voter Service Chair Patti Lackman.
Lackman emphasizes the importance of young voters exercising their right to vote, especially in the historical context of the minimum voting age.
“I’m of the era when they changed the voting law from 21 to 18 because of the Vietnam War, and that was so important to us, because we were sending people overseas to fight for democracy, and they weren’t even eligible to vote for the people that represent them,” said Lackman. “It was very important for my era to be able to have their voices heard, and I don’t know if young people realize how important that is.”
This importance may not be lost, as many seniors like Lamb look forward to voting in order to make their voices heard and make an impact on the community around them.
“I feel like I should vote because it’s a privilege I’m given by my country, and I get to make a decision about how the politics are run, and I want to make the world a better place,” said Lamb. “It’s kind of my responsibility to try to do good in the world with the power I have as a U.S. citizen.”
