By: Briana Blaszczyk
As a student at Wallenpaupack I noticed an uptick in the promotion of student votes, so I made it my goal to figure out why this was. After speaking with Dr. Ferrara, one of our school’s social studies teachers, I learned that her Global Human Rights class was the group that created this voter registration campaign. She informed me of the club’s goal, “…to make students aware of their voting rights, especially for seniors who would be turning eighteen on or before the Pennsylvania primary election on April 23.”
Dr. Ferrara provided the statistics gathered by CIRCLE (Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) that show 50% of youth (ages 18-29) voted in the 2020 presidential election (an eleven-point increase from 2016). It is this statistic that stands as proof of young people acknowledging and using their right to vote! Dr. Ferarra shared her view stating, “…it is important for high school students to realize the power they have as a voting bloc, especially on issues such as the environment or student loan debt. Now, more than ever, voting does matter, and a young individual’s vote does count.”
Provided below is information on how YOU can register to vote!
The voter registration deadline for the primary election was April 8; however, the general election (voting for the president) is on November 5, 2024, with the deadline for voter registration on October 21, 2024. The easiest way for students to register is to complete the simple application provided on the official Pennsylvania government website, www.vote.pa.gov. The website includes all the information needed to register, vote, and lists resources related to the voting process (party information, deadlines).
