Students champion voter registration in the halls of their own high schools

PITTSBURGH – More first-time voters likely headed to the polls in Pennsylvania's spring primary May 21, thanks to teens like Haley Custer, 18, who encouraged their peers to register to vote.

Custer has worked the polls in her community just outside of Pittsburgh for the last two years, a testament, she said, to her commitment to getting other people — especially students — to vote.

"Many people claim that one vote won't matter, but when an entire generation feels that way it definitely has a drastic impact," said Custer, a student at Kiski Area High School in Leechburg, Pa.

Custer and other students at her high school participated in an outreach that encourages teens to vote. Pennsylvania is one of nine states with programs that reward high schools and students who achieve gains in voter registration through a nonprofit organization called Inspire U.S.

Inspire U.S. also works with schools in Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

This year, more than 60 schools across the Keystone State participated in Inspire U.S. (Inspire-usa.org), registering about 3,100 students to vote. And those efforts could make a difference as voters head to the polls to nominate candidates for their local school board, magistrate, council and more.

Local elections tend to generate lower turnout compared to national races, even though the candidates elected to those offices are the ones who will have a broad impact on their daily lives.

"Municipal-level decisions made include policing and the quality of public education," said Lawson. "The things that greatly impact your day-to-day quality of life — your safety, your school — these affect everybody in the whole community. But young people are going to those schools. They should have a say in the quality of their education."

About 8% of the state's 8.5 million registered voters are 18 to 24, records show.

To increase these numbers and encourage teens to vote, the Department of State and the Pennsylvania Department of Education worked with Inspire U.S. to launch the Governor's Civic Engagement Award program in 2017.

Through this program, high school students of voting age complete voter registration during school with help from their adviser, making it easier for them to register.

At a recognition program on May 7 at the University of Pittsburgh, Purchase Line High School in Indiana County and Kiski Area High School won Gold Awards for registering at least 85% of students who are eligible voters.

Some people might think the registration process is a long endeavor, like completing college financial aid paperwork. But many students were shocked at how simple the process was.

"It's pretty easy. You just have to know basic information about yourself like your social security number and address," said Ryan Spaulding, 18, a student at Trinity High School, which was among the high schools that received a silver award for registering at least 65% of eligible voters.

"Had I known it was this easy, I would not have waited so long," he said.

Students in the Trinity Leadership Committee collaborated with Inspire U.S. to boost civic engagement among students.

"We support strongly getting our kids acclimated into the community and understanding their rights and responsibilities in the community," high school principal Tom Samosky said. Trinity students organized a classroom-to-classroom presentation with a representative from Inspire U.S. in senior and junior year classes.

Students also were active in working the election polls throughout the county.

"The voters [are] delighted to see the fresh young faces involved," said Emily Holmes, a poll supervisor in Washington County.

"Politicians work for the citizens, not the other way around, and I think we as a country have forgotten that a little bit," added Andaya Sugayan, Inspire U.S. regional coordinator for the greater Philadelphia area.

"So many politicians are willing to brush young people off because they have this perception that we don't care and don't vote."

People ages 18 to 23 in 2020 will make up about one in 10 eligible voters, according to the Pew Research Center.

Beyond just looking ahead, Chang Lawson reminded students that it's also important to remember the past:

"We have the opportunity to vote today because of the people that fought most of their lives to give us the right to vote."

Custer encourages everyone who is eligible to vote to educate themselves about the candidates and head to the polls.

"Don't let anyone say that your voice doesn't matter," she said.