PENDLETON, Ind. (AP) - Something has changed in the cafeteria at Pendleton Heights High School, said Jessica MacMillan.
“At lunch, politics comes up at least once a week, and the views are very interesting,” she said.
MacMillan is one of many seniors at schools throughout Madison County who have recently turned 18 and are taking their civic duty seriously as they prepare to vote for the first time in Indiana’s primary on Tuesday and in the midterm national election in November.
Since the shooting incident that left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, students around the nation have put their political representatives on notice, reminding them that many will be of voting age by the time elections come around this year.
As 2018 class president, MacMillan already was politically inclined, but she said the high-profile political activity by youth on a national level has made her even more aware.
“I’m not always super public about it, but I definitely have my views,” she said. “It definitely strikes more of an interest and makes you think more than if those things hadn’t happened.”
MacMillan, who plans to study hospitality, tourism and event management next year at Indiana University, said she has been studying the candidates and the issues in preparation for her first time at the polls.
“I’ve done a fair amount of research on the candidates, just to make sure I am making the decision I want to make,” she said.
Pendleton Heights High School senior Garrett Nealon says, “I was definitely raised in a house where having your own political views, having your own voice, is important.”
Her schoolmate, Garrett Nealon, said he’s excited about this new step in adulthood.
“I was definitely raised in a house where having your own political views, having your own voice, is important,” he said.
Nealon, who plans to study business administration at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis, said he believes young people are making their views known through social media.
“The kids are definitely starting to utilize that, and the message is getting across,” he said. “I definitely feel like kids our age are getting more of a voice.”
Anderson High School senior Kodie Bair says, “Me voting now may influence what she (my cousin) gets to see, especially with the referendum. I won’t get to enjoy it, but I would have loved it if someone had done this for me.”
Anderson High School senior Kodie Bair, who will be joining the Army following graduation, takes voting so seriously, he already has volunteered at the polls on Election Day and expects to do so again this year.
“I’m very fond of politics,” the self-described centrist said. “I couldn’t vote at the time, but I wanted to help out.”
Like some of the others, Bair said he has been influenced in terms of having his voice heard as the collective voice of teens has risen since the incident in Parkland in February. He said he believes those who are turning 18 will have a significant effect on the outcome of the midterms in November.
Bair said part of his desire to vote is rooted in social responsibility and a desire to ensure his school is a safe place for his cousin, who will be a freshman there next year.
“Me voting now may influence what she gets to see, especially with the referendum,” he said. “I won’t get to enjoy it, but I would have loved it if someone had done this for me.”
For Bair and his schoolmate, Aaron Armstrong, the issue that interests them most - the $41 million bond referendum - hits close to home. Bair, who has played trumpet for three years and served as drum major for the Marching Highlanders, said having a practice gym is crucial - even if he never will be among the people to use it.
Armstrong, who plans to study education at Kentucky State University, said he always knew he would participate in voting.
“I thought, ’It’s going to be dope,’” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to talk smack about something but not vote.”
As with the students at Parkland, gun control is an important issue for him, Armstrong said. A 13-year-old cousin in Fort Wayne recently died in a shooting.
“It’s hard for people who need it to get medications, but a 13-year-old can get a gun,” he said.
Armstrong said he also isn’t interested in unrealistic promises from politicians.
“They should have a plan and know how to execute it,” he said.
Alexandria-Monroe High School seniors Philip Kaufinger and Nacoma Calandrelli said they haven’t yet had an opportunity to register to vote, so they won’t be able to participate in the primary. However, they plan to be registered for the midterm election.
“It’s my civic duty. If I don’t vote, my opinion isn’t heard,” said Kaufinger, who plans to double major in engineering and music at Lehigh University. “What I believe in can’t be heard unless I choose my representative who coincides with my beliefs.”
Calandrelli, who plans to study forensic science at IUPUI, said being involved in a mass media class has heightened for her the importance of political awareness. However, she hasn’t heard much about the midterm elections.
“We’re like, what’s a midterm election?” she said.
___
Source: The (Anderson) Herald Bulletin, https://bit.ly/2HQQbPT
___
Information from: The Herald Bulletin, http://www.theheraldbulletin.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.