On Election Day this year—November 6—anyone who is 18, a registered voter, a citizen of the United States, and not a felon can vote if they choose to do so. Several seniors at Piedmont High School will be eligible.
Senior Elizabeth Fetterolf, who turns 18 three days before the election, will participate in the election.
“I’ve been watching the debates to get ready,” said Fetterolf.
Senior Billy Ireland, who turns 18 on October 15, reported doing the same thing. “I’ve been boning up on my news intake, checking the papers,” said Ireland. “I also watched the conventions and the debate.”
According to civicyouth.org, the number of registered voters in the youngest age bracket, ages 18-29, increased 11% from the 2000 election to the 2008 election. Fifty-four percent of eligible voters nationwide in this age range, a record number, are registered.
“I’m excited to be a part of the political system,” said Fetterolf when asked why she had decided to vote in the upcoming election.
According to a study by the University of California, Davis, 53% of eligible young adults in the Bay Area are registered to vote in November. The study states that the Bay Area has the second-highest rate of young voter registration in California, following Sacramento at 54.2%.
Senior Dan Meade, who misses the birthday cutoff of Election Day by a week, said, “I’m kind of glad to not have to choose who to vote for. I don’t like either of them that much,” said Meade. He said that he has watched a short recap of the debate, but is “definitely not following [the campaigns] as much” as he might if he could vote this year.
Fetterolf and Ireland both said that 18 is the right age to vote. “I think that people younger than seniors might not understand enough about the election,” said Fetterolf, “or they might mirror their parents’ opinions too much.”
Billy’s mother, Mary Ireland, said, “18 works, especially if kids are educated. It’s important for kids to be educated about the choices so that their right to vote and participation in the process is meaningful.”