Seniors Voting

It’s safe to say that teens today are experiencing an information overload. With news more available and plentiful than ever, often shoved right in their faces, it’s easy to get caught up in the fray and left confused. It’s especially difficult to try to stay informed without being overwhelmed during or leading up to election time, which is in full force right now - especially with the coronavirus pandemic and all of its effects. For first-time voters, navigating a world of Instagram headlines and multiple candidates with similar policies can be both a challenge and an opportunity. We spoke to several of Masterman’s very own 18-year-old students about their excitement, confusion, and apprehension leading up to the Pennsylvania primary in April.

Many high school students and young adults today are faced with multiple choices during election season: who to vote for, whether or not they feel like their vote matters, and if they should even vote in the first place. Voter turnout among 18-29 year-olds is typically the lowest in the nation, at only 46% in 2016 compared to over 70% of citizens at age 65 and older. Many of our own seniors have experience with young people abstaining from the election - Lucas Bowerman (12-1) spoke about knowing young people who “don’t really follow politics and don’t feel engaged enough to vote.” Often, high school classes don’t give young adults adequate knowledge about the candidates and the political process, and in today’s polarizing political climate, teachers often shy away from discussing politics in the classroom. As Faith Chung (12-1) explained, “A lot of people my age feel like we don’t know enough about the candidates and about politics in general.”

However, students at Masterman often have a very different experience. According to many students, Masterman is a safe place for discussing your opinion on voting, and the teachers in the school highly encourage their students to go out and vote. According to Chung, “Throughout Masterman, all of our social studies teachers have taught us the importance of voting and that you should always use your vote, because you do have a say in your representative.” Many of the students expressed that they were voting in the primary without hesitating- Iman Acharya (12-1) said she would definitely be voting: “I’ve been looking forward to being able to vote for the past few years, and I think this upcoming election- even just the democratic primary is super important.”

To many of the seniors interviewed, voting is an exciting new thing to look forward to, even if the person they are planning on voting for loses the election. As Acharya said, most of the seniors “firmly believe in voting blue no matter who” (besides Mike Bloomberg). On the other hand, some of the seniors were more or less confident in how much their vote in the primary would matter. When asked if her vote will have value, Acharya replied, “If the next few primaries go as they are expected to, then it will probably not have a ton of value in the primary. I think it definitely will in the general, since Pennsylvania is a swing state,” and Chung said, “I know that in a sense it might not, because so many people are voting and there are so many candidates, so if I’m voting for a less popular candidate it will have less value.” Still, all of the seniors interviewed agreed that their vote will, without a doubt, be vital when the general election comes around, especially living in a swing state like Pennsylvania. As Lucas Bowerman put it: “Politics and the government affect everyone- going to a public school, Masterman students should know that in particular. Even if you feel disillusioned or disappointed in the candidates or the government it’s important that the next one reflects the will of all the people.”

Voting this year seems to be something many highschoolers are looking forward to, especially with Masterman’s fairly open environment for discussing political matters and enthusiastic voting encouragement. Whether their top issue was climate change, immigration, healthcare policy, or reproductive rights, Masterman’s seniors are excited to exercise their vote for the first time. In the coming weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, they will have to navigate how and when to vote, especially with the possibility of the Pennsylvania primary being delayed until June 2. Still, they will be showing up in full force - as Shane Cohen-Mungen (12-1) put it, “I think it’s important to be involved in the political process and just have my voice heard.”