In November, more than 8 million young adults will be newly eligible to vote in the 2024 presidential election — including many juniors and seniors at NWA.
“I registered to vote maybe a year ago and I’ll be 18 before November, so I’ll be able to vote then,” said Sadie Siegel-Wilson, a senior.
Many high school students have exhibited enthusiasm about voting, and believe that the school plays an important role in preparing students for the opportunity.
“I am excited [to vote] because I want to have input,” said Alice Harris, a junior who registered earlier this year by mail.
However, providing high schoolers with resources and information about voting remains a topic of discussion for educators and students alike.
“I think the school has the role of both educating students around what the actual [mechanics of political and government] systems are and educating students towards being the kind of citizens who care,” said Joanne Kim, the Head of High School. “Who cares not only because they are forced to or identify some kind of personal gain or opportunity [from it], [but because] it’s a civic privilege [and] civic right [and] because they understand that the way they move through the world makes a difference.”
Sharon Weir, a middle school social studies teacher and the Assistant Head of Middle School, is passionate about empowering her students to actively participate in the democratic process. She does this by “helping them explore personal values and seeing how those guide us as people.”
Likewise, Weir believes that schools have a responsibility to educate students about their right to vote, especially in how to effectively seek out and analyze information on their own.
“I let my students know that there is transparency in government, in theory, but you do have to look for it,” said Weir. “In high school you need to get those tools. [You need to] know where to access that information, how to read the voters pamphlet, how to register to vote and where you go to [vote].”
In 2016, Oregon’s voter registration law, Oregon Motor Voter, took effect. This law made voter registration automatic, changing it from an “opt-in” to an “opt-out” process. This removes the need to fill out a separate voter registration card for anyone 16 or older who has a direct interaction (such as applying for or renewing a driver’s license) with the DMV. Providing they don’t opt-out, and they register at least 21 days prior to an election, individuals will automatically receive ballots for any election held on or after their 18th birthday.
“The more people have to jump through hoops to do something, the less likely they are to do it. With each layer it becomes slightly less and less likely,” said Kim, who is in favor of removing potentially unnecessary obstacles.
Despite the state’s effort to streamline voter registration, many eligible students remain unregistered. Some of these unregistered students have expressed a desire to learn about Oregon’s voting process in greater detail than what is currently being taught in most social studies classes.
“I’m not registered, [but I do] want to vote this year,” said a junior who requested anonymity. “I just really need to know about how [to register], whether I learn [that] from my teachers [or] on my own. I need to figure [it] out.”
This is also the case for some students who will not be eligible to vote in the upcoming election, but who wish that schools would provide highschoolers with specific logistical information regarding voting before they officially register.
“I don’t know enough about the process, [and I’d like to] learn more about it before registering,” said sophomore Skye Groves.
Likewise, Siegel-Wilson believes in honoring the importance of talking and learning about current events and the government and hopes that NWA will continue to boost the political science and civics department, such as requiring students to take civics courses.
“I haven’t taken a civics class at [this school] because in the past, they’ve been added late, not offered or I had other requirements to fill,” said Siegel-Wilson.
Other students believe that resources are readily available for those who seek them out, including in the courses and curriculum already offered at NWA.
“The ethics class I took last semester was fairly involved in the idea of public ethics [and] civics,” said Teo Hamacher, a senior who will be eligible to vote in the next election but is unregistered at the current time. “I think if you are looking for sources it’s not difficult to find [them].”
Kim reinforced Hamacher’s sentiments, pointing to the role and benefits of educational instruction in an academic setting.
“I think our current civics teachers are doing a really fantastic job to create an awareness and understanding of our government and political systems associated,” Kim concurred. “I hope that as more and more NWA students take those civics courses, our students will themselves be more informed and ultimately better equipped to participate [in the election process].”
Non-academic resources used by students to stay up to date on current events include newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, and many also report relying on social media platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok.
“I don’t follow the news very closely,” said Siegel-Wilson. “My family talks about current events pretty often and I occasionally hear something on the radio, but honestly, I think my main source of news is TikTok (taken with a grain of salt, of course).”
Leading up to both major and local elections, Weir urges her students to educate themselves and exercise their right to vote.
“Something that I would like young people to understand is that voting is a real privilege and people have lost their lives to try to ensure voting rights,” said Weir. “[You] shouldn’t take that lightly.”
Starting this school year, all entering freshmen will need to fulfill civics requirements.
Register or update existing registration to vote in Multnomah County
Register or update existing registration to vote in Clackamas County
Register or update existing registration to vote in Washington County
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