Student Voter Empowerment Coalition, or SVEC, will be holding a student voter registration drive next Thursday, Sept. 19. Voting-age students will be able to sign up in school to vote for the upcoming presidential election in this drive.
Sanjana Senthil, senior and co-president of Carroll’s branch of SVEC, said the drive is meant to support students by providing a familiar space to begin the steps of their political participation.
“We’re excited to provide more opportunities for students to get connected with national and local elections throughout the year,” Senthil said. “For this election on Nov. 5, we’re really interested in setting up on-campus polling booths and educating students about the candidates that are running. I think there’s a misconception that all political education is about pushing people towards some political agenda, but SVEC is trying to show people that it’s about learning about your country and your own voice.”
SVEC’s first meeting was held on Sept. 5, where Senthil and her co-president, senior Trevor Mays, presented in front of members, emphasizing conversation over debate.
“Showing up for civic engagement shows that you have empathy, you care for people around you,” Mays said.
During the meeting, students were asked to share why they wanted to be part of SVEC. Reasons included their privilege as an American and to change the future that they are living in.
“The fact that you’re here is amazing,” SVEC program director Jessica Jugo said at the meeting. “It shows that you all understand that your generation has such a big impact.”
Ms. Elizabeth Irish, the campus advisor for SVEC and AP Government and Politics teacher, said she is enthusiastic about student involvement in this election cycle.
“We talk in class about how youth voter turnout always lags behind other demographic groups, and I think this generation is starting to change that a little bit,” Irish said. “It’s so important for young people, especially because they are the ones who will have to live with these policies for much longer than older people.”
Irish also said that polarization, despite causing division, has also made students more excited about voting. However, some students, such as senior Aleena Naeem, are still undecided if they will vote in this election.
“I’m not convinced,” Naeem said. “It’s a lot of factors. I don’t think my single vote has a lot of effectiveness and I don’t know a lot about the choices right now, but what I do know – I’m like yikes. I feel like I’m at a crossroads and I don’t really align with anyone.”
However, Naeem said that she could still be persuaded about the potency of voting.
“I think that SVEC is really great because it did show that people can do something,” Naeem said. “I think seeing statistics and genuine effects of voting, and not voting, could sway me and other students.”
