Educating High School Students About the Importance of Voting and Local Elections

In 2019, when just 49% of the voting-eligible population showed up at the polls for the mid-terms, it was the biggest turnout in over one hundred years. That, of course, was for high-profile federal government positions. Local elections only aspire to those numbers. On average—and depending on the location—only 17% of people show up for local races.

Why the big disparity? While filling congressional and senate seats is undoubtedly more high-profile, it is local politicians who make the choices most likely to influence our lives. They decide on school funding. Local infrastructure. Public policy. Taxes.

Unfortunately, no one has cracked the code for improving turnout. One strategy that may at least help would be to stress the importance of voting to high school students before they are even eligible to do it themselves.

In this article, we take a look at how and why schools should teach their students about the importance of voting.

Explain What the Local Government Does

Local government plays a critical role in town infrastructure. Things the students most likely experience and enjoy routinely. This includes things like libraries and parks and even the roads that the students took to get to school.

Local newspapers are a great resource for explaining how town governments make choices that influence town people’s lived experiences. Current events are a great way to drive that fact home. By showing students how ongoing stories within their community are getting covered, they may get a sense of what local politicians actually do.

For example, a fire department on the edge of town was annexed into a different district. How has this impacted response times? The local park is building a pickleball court. How much did it cost? Where did that money come from, and who decided to spend it?

Their own school board voted to reinstate a strict uniform policy. Who drove this decision? What factors did they consider?

Being an informed voter is largely a matter of asking questions. Getting high school students to focus on political choices that they have witnessed in their own lives is a great way to bring that fact home.

Help Them Understand Polling Timelines

One of the big reasons that many people don’t vote in local elections is because they know nothing about them. Mid-terms and presidential elections get endless print. Local races are not nearly as publicized— particularly in an age where newspapers are neither widely circulated nor read.

You can’t vote in an election you’ve never heard about. Help them understand the local election cycle. When does campaigning begin? What issues warrant the most attention? How can you learn more about a candidate’s position and policy history?

These considerations will help the students become more fluent in election concerns. They will also further help to generate interest in the race. It’s very easy for politics to feel distant and abstract. Putting names, faces, statements, and dates to the process will make it feel more concrete for the high school students who are learning about them.

Encourage Civic Involvement

Some high school students will be old enough to vote in the next local election cycle. These students may be particularly interested in ways they can become more involved in local politics. Even those who are not old enough to cast a vote may have opportunities for participation.

Young political activism is becoming more and more prominent. School-aged children all over the world are coming to recognize the way politics influence their lives.

Students who aren’t old enough to vote may still appreciate the opportunity to make their voices heard or donate their time to a campaign that reflects their values.

Explain the Issues

While it is important not to influence teenagers in choosing a specific political perspective it can be beneficial to help make sure they understand the issues most prevalent in their community. For example, healthcare justice is a topic that impacts large portions of the population.

How accessible is healthcare for minority or low-income patients? What public services does your community have in place to relieve that burden?

Many students will find, as they learn more about local politics, that they— or someone they know— have been impacted by policy decisions. Most people, including adults, care little about politics until they can see how major decisions have influenced their lives.

Explain the Impact

Local elections can have a considerable impact on national politics. There is a reason the GOP and DNC participate so heavily in local election campaigning—and that reason isn’t brand loyalty. Local politics can influence the structure of the electoral college, the judicial system, and the structure of the political party hierarchy.

The direction local elections take also generally indicate how a community will vote during national elections. In a democracy the word “the local,” is relative. Everything connects eventually. Helping students understand those connections can foster passion and participation.

Emphasize the Benefits

Participating in local elections is also strongly associated with a series of physical and intellectual benefits. People feel more stimulated and fulfilled when they are doing work they find important and enjoyable. Many people experience improved physical health and even boosted cognitive patterns when they participate in local politics.

Admittedly, these benefits are observed more in older populations than they are in high school students. Those retirees you encounter volunteering at your local polling place are in it for more than just the complimentary coffee and donuts. They participate because they find it mentally and emotionally stimulating.

While seventeen-year-olds aren’t as hungry for social encounters or things to do as their 70-year-old counterparts, they can still benefit from and enjoy the political process.

Politics gets a bad rap. People hear the word and think immediately of their least favorite politician or an uncle who always starts arguments on Thanksgiving. Certainly, these things are aspects of the process.

However, for better or for worse, politics is not something that can be opted out of. We all experience the consequences of local elections whether we participate or not. Helping high school students understand the power they have in shaping local policies can result in life-long advocacy and political participation.