This week on March 25th and 26th, the League of Women voters will be registering seniors to vote during their government classes. Students that are not in government classes, but still want the opportunity to register will be able to during all lunches in the cafeteria on March 26th.
Thanks to legislation passed by Virginia legislators, students as young as 16 are able to pre-register to vote. While pre registration doesn’t allow students under 18 to vote immediately, it means that as soon as they turn 18 they will be registered to vote in the next election.
Students that register to vote this spring will be able to cast their vote in Virginia’s upcoming
general and special elections this November.
On November 4th, the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Virginia Attorney General, members of the Virginia House of Delegates, and various local offices are all up for reelection.
West Po Government teacher Mr. Daniel Baldwin is especially involved in the high school voter registration drives that have been happening at West Po for years. He has been working with the League of Women voters, the organization that conducts the high school voter registration drives at various Fairfax County High School’s for almost 10 years.
In Mr. Baldwin’s words, pre-registering and registering to vote is important because, “Often students don’t realize there is a process and a deadline for registering to vote. Before you can actually show up to vote, you have to go through certain steps”. Instead of having to navigate through registration on their own, students are able to get help with the registration process and ask any questions they may have. Mr. Baldwin said, this assures that “On election day, they [students] just have to worry about making a plan to actually show up and vote.”
During the registration drive, volunteers will be there to help with any questions students may have, however it is important that students remember to bring their social security number, and that registration forms must be filled out with a blue or black ink pen.
