Fremd H.S. students register to vote

To help educate students about the importance of voting and making sure their opinion is heard, several teachers at Fremd High School created an annual opportunity for their students to get involved and register to vote.

The Social Studies Department at Fremd High School held a voter registration drive from Jan. 15 through Feb. 15 and registered more than 300 Fremd High School students to vote as a result of the Illinois law change. The law change allows 17-year-olds to vote in the March 18 primary election if they will be 18 by the General Election on Nov. 4.

"The largest group we ever registered was 100 during our presidential election year," said Jason Spoor-Harvey, social studies teacher at Fremd High School and deputy registrar. "A lot of the curriculum during junior and senior year is focused on American history, government, and our identity as Americans. This is a vital aspect to that identity as a part of the American democracy."

This is a record number of students for Fremd High School's voter registration efforts in more than 13 years. This voter drive allowed students to take information they learn in the classroom and apply it outside of school through voting, as well as familiarize themselves with the voting process and what an Illinois ballot looks like.

"This drive shows our students that we care about this," said Spoor Harvey. "We want to support our students' efforts to become contributing members of our democracy."

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