TEEN TALK
Getting Involved
By Evan Baumel
2010 is an election year, and in this day and age, it is more important than ever to vote for our leaders to choose the right path. March 7th will be my 18th birthday, which is fortunate because our local elections are two days later. Still, a majority of today’s youth have little to no knowledge about politics today. In fact, only 18 percent of young people actually voted during the 2008 presidential elections.
As active citizens, voting is a responsibility. Our leaders are accountable for issues such as education and college tuition. However, due to the lack of young voters, these topics are considered by many politicians to be a low priority. If the youth were to participate in elections more often, I am almost certain that there would be more attention toward issues relating to teens.
I have noticed that the main reason most students do not vote is because either they do not know enough about the issues, or they do not simply care. Other than the mandatory government class, there is little to no exposure to current events. Also, students are far more concerned with schoolwork, clubs, and friends than they are with the world around them. They figure that since they can’t vote until they are 18, there is no need to follow politics. But even at a young age anyone can be involved in the political process.
That is why I am encouraging efforts to hold a voter’s registration drive at Wellington High School. A legal resident is able to pre-register to vote when he or she is only sixteen years old. There are over 500 seniors at WHS, most of them being legal residents of the United States. If the statistics are true, only 90 of them will actually vote in the near future. It is my hope that registering students directly (in a non-partisan manner) will encourage them to vote more frequently.
Students who are already interested in governmental affairs have already taken steps to break the tradition of youth apathy. Through bipartisan efforts, Wellington High School’s Young Democrats and Young Republicans have hosted meetings to educate the student populace via guest speakers. The most recent speaker was Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher, who explained how elections are run and the various rules surrounding them.
It is my hope that more students will become a part of the electoral process, since our future is being directed by officials chosen by the people. There have been many elections where the winner won due to the support of young voters. We have the opportunity to make a better future by supporting candidates who promise to support the children of this county. To quote Susan Bucher herself, “If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.”
Evan Baumel is a senior at Wellington High School. He’s involved in Debate, National Honor Society, Key Club, politics and writes for the school newspaper.