Throughout the week of May 15, students gathered in the quad during lunch to register to vote.
The ASB human relations commission hosted a booth for students over the age of 16 to register to vote in future elections.
Jade Sebti, a junior and the human relations commission supervisor, said, “This is something we’ve done for about two years now. We usually do it at the end of the year because that’s when most of the seniors are 18. Last year, we had around 50 kids come. However, this year, we have made the process more simple in order to attract more people.”
The purpose of the booth is to encourage students to start getting involved in the country’s government and speak up for issues they are passionate about.
“Our mission in holding this event is to give people no excuse to avoid voting. As a school, it is our hope to get as many people involved in the political system as possible. Giving students the opportunity to register in advance pushes them to take the first step in taking political action,” said Sebti.
The human relations commission promoted this event for several weeks through different platforms.
“In order to reach as many students as possible, we used a variety of advertising methods. In the weeks leading up to the event, we posted flyers all around the school and used social media accounts to capture student’s attention. Additionally, we communicated that signing up was super easy. All students had to do is be over sixteen, come to the booth, and put in some personal information,” said Sebti.
Over the course of the week, this event has helped many students to register to vote in future elections.
Risako Nozaki, a junior, said, “I saw one of my friends post on her Snapchat that she had registered and I thought that it would be super useful and less of a hassle to do it now than when I’m 18. The 2016 election has really encouraged me to go out and register to ensure that I have a say in our country’s decisions.”
However, while many students have taken advantage of this opportunity, some wish to wait until they are older before registering.
“Although I think it’s great that ASB is providing this opportunity for students, I want to wait until I’m 18 because I don’t know exactly what my views are and what I believe,” said Earl Kwofie, a junior.
