The chilly days of fall are here, which for many political enthusiasts signals election time. This year, midterm elections will occur on November 6. The midterms are general elections that happen halfway through a president’s four-year term in office.
This year’s elections will decide all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and one-third of the U.S. Senate. While each state has different voter-registration age requirements, Connecticut allows those who are currently 17 and will turn 18 before the elections to register to vote.
Students who live outside their hometown can fill out an absentee ballot. However, though this presents an opportunity for newly eligible voters to submit a ballot, studies have shown that, during nonpresidential election years, turnout from this category is relatively low. In fact, in 2014, only 16% of 18- to 24-year-olds reported voting, according to the Child Trends Organization, which, according to their website, is a non-profit research organization based in Bethesda, MD, focused on improving the lives of children and their families.
Last year, Alice Volfson ’19 led an initiative that encouraged Choate students to register to vote. HeadCount, the registration website utilized by Volfson, allows people to register to vote through a text message, perfect for boarding students who cannot register in person. The website also has information about voting procedures in different regions of the country, as well as an absentee ballot form.
Volfson held a three-day voting registration booth in the sophomore-junior section of the dining hall. “I wanted to do something bipartisan on campus that would encourage our generation to go out and vote because it’s really crucial we do that now,” Volfson said.
Volfson estimated that about 70 people came to the booth and registered. “That was a good amount because obviously not a lot of people are over the age of 18,” she said. “We got mostly repeat juniors and seniors, but there were a lot more than the 15 or 20 people I was expecting.”
Volfson hopes to increase that amount by having more information about voting at Choate. Volfson believes more people would vote if Choate provided more resources, such as absentee ballots, and also registered eligible students who wanted to vote. “I personally want everyone here to go out and vote on November 6,” Volfson said, “but that’s difficult to do without access to an absentee ballot.”
Matt Anastasio ’19, who is currently registered to vote and plans to go to the booths on November 6, agreed with this sentiment, stating, “I do think that Choate should make it easier for students to register to vote, as well as give them the opportunity to vote on Election Day, whether that’s setting up voter registration stations or providing transportation to the voting polls,” he said. “We need to encourage young adults to vote and make educated votes because we are the future of the country.”
Although she is 17 and cannot vote in the upcoming midterms, Polina Ermoshkina ’19 said she would vote if she could. “I think that in this political climate, it’s not okay anymore to say, ‘I’m only one person, and my vote doesn’t count.’ It does.” Ermoshkina added, “If a large group of people thought that their vote wouldn’t change anything, an entire perspective would be left out of the political debate, and we just can’t have that.”
Volfson encouraged everyone to do their due diligence and research, and, for those who can, to vote. She said, “You don’t have to agree with the candidate 100%, it’s just a matter of doing something. What’s happening now will affect us for the rest of our lives.”
