YOUNG VOTER-PATHY

Sophomore Becca Jeffries (left) poses with her sister at a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Chantilly, Va. in June. Despite being unable to vote, Jeffries participates in activism and campaigns. “I attended many BLM protests over the summer that were safe. Everyone was masked and staying apart, so protests are still possible,” Jeffries said. PHOTO COURTESY // Becca Jeffries

VOTER-PATHY young Civic engagement at Jefferson regardeless of age and eligibility by Annika Duneja and Connie Ryu

Standing in line and checking off a ballot. Sharing a post for others [as well], then why not?” on social media. Emailing a local representative. Voic- However, according to the NPR, voter apathy is increasingly ing your opinion by protesting. With the approaching visible in recent elections,with four in ten eligible voters not presidential election, political conversations are increasingly voting in 2016. While these numbers reflect voters of age, shared on- and off-line, and students are able to stay political- Adakroy spoke about the significance of youth in adult voter ly engaged in a number of ways. apathy. Despite being underage and unable to vote, sophomore “Everyone that's an adult was once a youth, so it's worth Becca Jeffries passionately participates in politics by working starting [civic engagement] early,” Adakroy said. “Once you're for campaigns and organizations, speaking out in proposal old enough to understand what's going on, it's worth taking presentations, and corresponding with local legislators. She’s the time to be informed and know what's going on - whatever found it to be beneficial in ways besides being able to raise age that is.” awareness about political issues such as climate change. Jeffries argues that a possible reason for the rise of voter ap“It’s nice to know that you are really making an impact and athy may be due to selfishness, where voters fail to cast their changing the world for ballot in political issues because they are not directly affected Percent Voter Turnout By Age the better,” Jeffries said. by them. Group in Election Years “It’s given me a lot of “You can’t neglect the sufferings of millions of people beconfidence I lacked prior cause it doesn’t cause you suffering,” Jeffries said. “Not voting to these experiences, and because you’re indifferent to something bad that’s happening taught me many valuable can be as harmful as arguing for it.” skills.” Accordingly, Jeffries strongly encourages her fellow youth Senior Reevu Adakroy, to fight for issues they may be passionate about, particularly who has recently turned because she’s found her personal experiences to be unexpecteighteen and voted early, edly impactful in making real change. shares how simply being “I’ve found that people in power find youth activists really YOUTH VOTE politically informed keeps teenagers, including himself, engaged. “[I know] I'm really lucky to have the privileges I do and live the lifestyle I do,” Adakroy said. “If by paying attention or staying informed, I can take the time to make [society] better inspiring, and in many cases, tend to listen to us more than adults,” Jeffries said. “This gives us an important power, and we need to use it.” Source: U.S. Census Data