Friday marks the end of the early voting period for Tuesday’s constitutional amendment election.
“I’m a supporter of early voting,” AP Government teacher Amanda Peters said. “I think it’s a fantastic option; especially for people who have a lot going on or have young kids at home. It just gives you that extra flexibility and ensures that if something comes up on the actual election day, you’ve already got your vote in.”
During the early voting period Peters has done what she can to encourage students to make it to a polling place.
“As a government teacher, I’ve been trying to emphasize how important it is to vote. However, there’s a limit to what can be accomplished within the classroom setting,” Peters said. “It’s important for our students to understand that living in a republic means there’s a shared responsibility between the government and its citizens. It’s not a one-way street; engagement is crucial from both ends.”
But not everyone on campus is in a place where they feel they feel comfortable voting.
“I do think it’s important to vote if you have a strong opinion and if you want the world to be something that you have a say in,” senior Ashton Hatch said. “But, since I personally don’t have too many opinions as of right now – being in high school I’m just kinda focused on me – I don’t think it’s important for me to vote because I’m not there right now. However, I think in college when I feel more adult-y and I’m doing more things on my own I’ll feel differently.”
According to the Houston Chronicle only 25% of adults under 30 voted in the midterm elections in 2022. But for senior Shruti Bhoyar, that’s a mistake.
“I think it’s really important for people that are younger to have a say on things like the democratic process or participate in it at least so that they have some type of voice when it comes to what’s going on in their area, their community, or even their country,” Bhoyar said. “They have fresher ideas about what’s going on and they know the people around them as well so they’re able to voice their opinions too.”
For Peters, voting was a family ritual.
“When I was a student, voting was definitely a priority for me, and a lot of that came from my family,” Peters said. “We were pretty active in local politics in Dallas, and election day was always a big day in our house. We’d all go vote together and then go out for breakfast, and election night usually meant a party for whichever candidate we were supporting. It was a great way to grow up, and I think it really helped shape my views on the importance of civic participation. I do think there’s been a bit of a shift over time, with more emphasis now on getting students and young people involved in voting, which is fantastic to see.”
