The place is crowded with people, but you feel like the only one in the room.
No, it’s not your Bar Mitzvah, a concert or a sale at the mall—it’s voting day.
For many members of the high school community, Election Day is an experience for citizenship and learning about the democratic process, especially for first-time voters.
Social Studies teacher Nancy Mallory said to vote, one must be a United States citizen, 18 years old and a registered resident of Ohio 30 days before the election.
She encourages students to vote.
“By voting, we can make sure the candidate we want wins and exercise our freedom of expression,” Mallory said.
Mallory said even if a candidate loses, the votes will still make a difference in the legislative process.
Junior Jenna Bauer, who will turn 18 this coming June, said she will vote for the first time in the Ohio primary this March and is looking forward to it.
“I’ve never been very interested in politics before now,” Bauer said. “For this upcoming presidential election, I have been following the candidates closely.”
Bauer said there are many reasons she is excited to vote, one of which includes taking government in school this year.
“[Taking] government is really what got the whole thing going,” Bauer said. “Now I know it’s important to be involved and to be an informed voter.”
Substitute teacher Jim Kebe said he fondly remembers his first time voting.
He said he was a senior in high school when he first voted, and it was exciting because he paid attention to the issues and candidates for the first time.
“I realized voting is the culmination of the appreciation of being an American,” Kebe said. “It is an opportunity to understand how our country works.”
It’s very important to vote, Kebe said, because everyone has an equal opportunity to participate in the democratic process.
“I had always had a passion for American politics,” Kebe said. “Here, we stand behind our President no matter the outcome, without riots and bloodshed, which is the norm in some other countries.”
Senior Scott Weinblatt said he had a unique first-time voting experience because he was running in the same election he just acquired the right to vote in.
“Both running and voting further established me as an American citizen,” Weinblatt said. “The last election was a landmark in my life, and it bolstered my political activism.”
Weinblatt said he would not have been as involved with the issues if he had not been running.
“I’m glad I had the opportunity to run,” Weinblatt said. “It gave me an understanding of local politics that I will apply to many other circumstances in my life.”
Voting this November is definitely on the agenda, Weinblatt said, but first he will become more educated about each candidate.
Bauer agreed.
“Voting is so important; we decide how our country is run,” Bauer said. “Everyone’s opinion matters, and every vote counts.”
Visit http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov/ to register online.
Published February 2008. Digitized 2025.
