On Sept. 25, a group called Inspire Virginia set up a drive to register seniors and older juniors to vote, along with encouraging younger students to pledge to vote.
The drive was run by seniors Patrick McCabe, Anya Karaman, Ally Brown and Tom Freebairn, who had been trained in a one-day late August leadership and civic responsibility conference, with a focus on communication. Several sophomores also volunteered.
“[W]hat I most appreciated about the conference was the counselors’ treatment of us, the students, as adults,” Karaman said.
Inspire focuses on educating students to run these registration drives, as well as effective leadership and organization skills with an eye to both spreading those skills to others and eventually running for public office.
“It’s a really great organization that performs an important service,” Brown said.
Inspire Virginia is a nonpartisan organization aimed at increasing voter registration in senior classes across the state, with a final goal of 85 percent of each school’s graduating class.They span across five states other than Virginia and train students about government and why their vote matters.
“You have to be really good at talking to people. Yes, all forms of communication are important… but successful vocalization is integral to success,” Karaman said.
One of the core pillars of the Inspire program is communication. Students are called upon to speak in front of the conference for their school’s group on how they plan to achieve their goals. Students and teachers alike praise this demonstrative learning style as being highly effective and empowering.
“Voter registration is critical because it allows you to make a difference in your community,” J.D. Mitchell, Inspire’s National Curriculum and Training Specialist in a video on their website, said. “[If you understand] the power of your vote, you can make a difference and help other people make a difference.”
The Inspire table drew lines of students to the front of the cafeteria during every lunch, and each one received a sticker for their willingness to participate in the group’s initiative.
“I signed up because I find voting really important, since I want someone in my government who represents my ideals and at the same time is someone I can trust will do a good job,” senior Sammi Van Heest said.