FIRST TIME VOTING

As voting season rolls around, North seniors prepare to vote for the first time

by Izzy Munn design by Abbi Lovins

Starting in October, Columbus citizens were able to begin early voting, and eventually in-person voting in November. For some seniors, this is the first time they have been eligible to vote. One of these students is senior Alaina Baker.

“My family, especially my mom, has always encouraged me to vote,” Baker said. “Growing up, my mom always told me that even if I didn’t like the candidates, it was important to vote because women in history fought hard to earn us the right.”

Baker turned 18 on the first day of early voting, and she is excited to begin preparing to cast her ballot for the first time in her life.

“I am super excited to vote for the first time this year, because in coming of age, a lot of political issues affect me and my life, and voting makes my voice heard,” Baker said. “I’ve spent a lot of time this summer taking a political science college course and educating myself about our governmental system, how it works and what candidates I have similar interests with.”

Along with Baker, someone else who is excited about upcoming voting is North teacher Dan Marsh. Marsh teaches AP Government and Politics and encourages students to vote as often as he can.

“I think [student voting] is talked about a lot. The issue is, youth think politicians do not talk to them, so issues do not pertain to them, so they don’t vote,” Marsh said. “Politicians focus on old people simply because they vote. If you have limited campaign money to spend, you spend it where you know people will respond.”

Marsh believes that voting is extremely important in the lives of young students but thinks that 18 is the correct age for kids to start voting because there are different factors that could affect our votes.

“ I am okay with [the age to vote] being 18,” Marsh said. “I think if it is lowered to, let’s say 16, the role parents have on the youth, would just lead to the younger voter voting how the parents vote. Parents have a strong role in political socialization. It is not until the child is out of the home that political trends and voting might differ from parents.”

As a government and politics teacher, Marsh knows the importance of getting students to understand their power and how they can affect an election. With this knowledge, he lets his students know just how impactful their voices can be.

“Overall, I think we need to be more vocal about the importance of participating in civic life in general, but we must stay neutral,” Marsh said. “It is not our place to push a political agenda either direction. I tell my students all the time, ‘I don’t care who you vote for, but I want you to vote.’ I want you to express your opinions. Make our laws more connected to the total state, not just the 50 percent that participated.”

REGISTERED?

Are teens at North registered to vote? I Voted

24% Yes

76% No