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'Rock the Vote' for Lake County teens

With the primaries fast approaching on March 20, it is important that the candidates do not leave the young people behind. Since 2016, 17-year-olds have been allowed to play a role in the primary election process if they will be 18 when the general election takes place in November. However, it seems that the only teenagers aware of the ability to vote at 17 are those in government classes and those who pay attention to school announcements.

This is a problem.

These teenagers are our future; they are the future mayors, aldermen, representatives, senators, governors, presidents. They have every right to be a part of our society's democratic practices, especially when said policies affect their lives more than the adults creating the laws. But they can't participate if they do not know they have the option to do so.

In 1990, the nonprofit Rock the Vote was created to empower young people to be active in politics, and have since registered thousands of students on college campuses across the country. I propose that Lake County have a "Rock the Vote" campaign of its own. The county clerk's office could travel to schools and give presentations on voting and voting rights and then register eligible teenagers afterward.

It would allow the upperclassmen of high schools across the county to reach their full civic potential, advancing our state's policies farther into the future than most can imagine.

Elianna Bender

Mundelein

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