Wheeling High students kick off League of Women Voters-Dist. 214 voter registration drive
A voter-registration drive kicked off in Wheeling Saturday with high school students as its public face.
Not only do the students get an early lesson in the importance of public engagement and civil discourse, but the residents they approach are more likely to be open to the prospect that a teenager is delivering a nonpartisan message on how to register to vote, said volunteers with the League of Women Voters chapter that covers the area of Northwest Suburban High School District 214.
“People are afraid of politics and that's one of the things the League wants to change,” said Heidi Graham, past president and volunteer for the chapter serving Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Wheeling, Prospect Heights and Elk Grove Village.
Over the next few weeks, students at the other District 214 schools will be taking part in similar “Stroll to the Polls” weekend efforts, and hearing from a local elected leader about the importance of elections at all levels of government.
Wheeling High School students Saturday heard from Wheeling Village President Pat Horcher who told them so few adults recognize the importance of local elections — sometimes as low as 10% of those eligible. He added, there can be enough registered 18-year-olds at their school to affect the outcome of a Wheeling village election.
Graham asked the student volunteers how they would feel if only 10% of them were making major decisions for the entire group.
Horcher told the students that while the U.S. president makes headlines more often than he does, only one of them knows about the pipes bringing water to and from their homes as well as their level of police and fire protection.
He said being an informed voter means understanding the responsibilities of an elected office and researching the candidates to identify one whose priorities are close to yours.
“If you can't find one, maybe you're the candidate,” he suggested.
Horcher said the teenagers are at the right age to learn to be critically thinking voters and not follow the example of too many adults today.
“Typically what I see in politics is just people who follow the deity on the idiot box,” he said.
Though none of Saturday's student volunteers were old enough to vote yet, they recognized personal reasons for coming to school on a day off to help out.
Sophomore Kathleen Vinh said she is pursuing an academic pathway in law and already knew the importance of elections.
Her friend Erika Punzalan said her parents having been immigrants gave her a greater appreciation for the ability to be civically engaged with her community.