Voting is one of the most important civic duties for an American citizen to participate in, and yet, according to Pew Research, only around 66% of the voting-eligible population cast their ballots in the most recent presidential election. When an eligible citizen fails to vote, they are doing a disservice to our strong republic by not projecting their political voice and desires out into the world. For the 2022 midterm elections, Statista says that only 49.1% of citizens aged 18 to 24 were registered to vote, the lowest of all age demographics by 13 percentage points.
Josh Nathanson, a civics teacher here at Trinity, aims to change that goal. Along with Allie Kerns, one of our college counselors, he is providing information and guidance for any over-18 students who want to register to vote. His desire to increase voter registration in young people is driven by an overall love of voting: “I think personally it’s important for everyone to vote when they can, all the time… if we do things when we’re younger, then we’ll get more in the habit.” Nathanson himself has been a strong civic participator since his youth, casting his first ballot in “the midterm election in 2006.”
Registering to vote is a surprisingly simple process! According to Nathanson, “it takes about five minutes, not even that,” and “the biggest thing that a student might not know that they need to know is their social security number.” Students can visit either Nathanson in T314 or Kerns in the College and Career Counseling Center to pick up a form and register. They even bring the forms to the County Clerk’s Office every Friday, eliminating a tedious step for students.
If students would rather register online, they can visit the voter registration website (https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb/). It’s equally efficient and simple as filling out the form, just in an online format. The deadline to register for both formats is October 7.
Since most of the Trinity student body is under-18, I next asked Nathanson how young people can involve themselves in politics while not being able to vote. Fortunately, there are many options: “You can get involved by working for campaigns… You can work phone banks… You can donate.” Even if one doesn’t want to get as involved as to work for a campaign, he brought up a situation that’s familiar for many of us: “[if] perhaps somebody in your family is undecided on candidates, voice your opinion. Tell them how it impacts you just as much.”
Whether it’s directly participating through voting, working for a campaign, or debating family members at the dinner table, participating in our democracy should be paramount for young people. For any Trinity students, remember that voter registration forms are available from Mr. Nathanson in T314 or Mrs. Kerns in the College and Career Counseling Center, or you can register online at https://vrsws.sos.ky.gov/ovrweb/. Once again, the deadline to register in Kentucky is October 7. No matter what you or your family believes, make sure to research the issues important to you, find the candidate you agree most with, and VOTE!
