FEATURE 9
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uniors Riya Dev and Alyssa Gorbaneva are co-presidents of Jefferson’s Teenage Republicans, a club dedicated to political discussions and guest speakers such as GOP leaders. “We have political discussions and discourse on recent events in the political sphere. Since people of all political views come in, [our club] is a
great place for conversation,” Dev said. In a school where most students lean toward the left side of the political spectrum, Dev and Gorbaneva share their experiences as Republicans. “[Being a Republican at TJ] isn’t difficult. It just means that there’s usually more people who are going to argue with you, and you have to be ready for that. You have to be able to back [conservative stances] up,” Gorbaneva said. As a result, Gorbaneva has learned to challenge her own opinions and strengthen her arguments. On the other hand, Dev explained that disagreeing with someone who is not Republican is not significantly
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different from disagreeing with someone who is. “It’s a civil discussion, and we learn more about [and understand] the other side, so when I do talk to people with different political stances, I usually feel included,” Dev said. In the future, Teenage Republicans is planning on continuing their political discussions, attending conventions, and regis-
tering officially under the national Teenage Republicans organization. “We’re looking to go to conferences,” Gorbaneva said. “There are a lot of conventions that are geared towards younger students we can go to, as well as influential speakers in politics we can watch.”
ILLUSTRATION // Diya Dinesh
T
he presidential election is one of the most pivotal points of every election year. But this year, the polls will be looking a bit different. Instead of being packed with prospective voters, many will instead choose to stay home, wary of the coronavirus pandemic. With these new conditions, it’s become clear that now, more than ever, poll workers and volunteers are essential to run things as smoothly as possible. Despite the new norms which the pandemic has brought about, members of the Jefferson community have found ways to participate in the political process.
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
Although Junior Michelle Du has volunteered for political campaigns before, she says that campaigning over
a distance has been a new frontier. “I phone banked for the first time this summer. With phone banking, we [volunteers] get a bank of potential voters who’ve been filtered by certain demographics, like age or voting history. And the volunteers call as many people as they can, trying to get voters to align with their candidate.” Du said. Du believes that campaigning over a distance has brought new difficulties to her efforts to sway potential voters. “I prefer campaigning in person because you actually get to meet potential voters in person.” Du said. “People tend to be a lot more bold and rude [over the phone].” Humanities teacher and former poll worker Jenifer
Hitchcock encourages students to volunteer in order to increase overall turnout from the voter base. “If you cannot vote, ask your party of choice if you can assist in some way. People will need help getting folks who have difficulty with transportation. They might ask you to stand outside of the polling precincts and just hand out literature to voters who are coming into the building,” Hitchcock said. “Even if you aren’t able to vote, there are many ways you can make your mark in the bigger picture.”
USING YOUR VOICE
Hitchcock believes that the best way for students to get involved with the election is to have conversations about politics. “It can be as simple as
having conversations with your friends, but [ones] that are also substantive in nature. So if you’re having a conversation about something political, work towards understanding each other and hearing what you each have to say,” Hitchcock said. Du also recommends students keep up with current events so that they stay informed about issues affecting their community. “Even though many students aren’t yet of voting age, I think they should stay aware of what’s going on in the world, because eventually, they’re going to be of age, and they should know what they believe in, and vote accordingly,” Du said. “Even if we can’t vote, there’s a plethora of opportunities open to high schoolers like us.”
