With election season having just passed, it’s time to take a look at the participation of young people in the voting process.

A report from Tufts University estimated that 8 million people reached voting age between 2022 and 2024. However, many of these newly eligible young adults are not registered to vote, reflecting a general trend across the country in which the proportion of Americans registered to vote to the vast pool of those eligible is quite small.

Voting allows a person to choose those who represent them in the various levels of government, weigh in on the various issues that concern them, and exercise a key right that many across the world are not granted.

Many Windward seniors turned 18 leading up to the election and found themselves able to embrace this opportunity.

Teddy S. (‘25), co-founder of the Politics Club, explained why young people should educate themselves on politics and register to vote, and how the club has promoted that.

What inspired you to start the Politics Club, and what is its objective?

Van L. (‘25) and I were inspired to start the Politics Club because we wanted to create a space on campus for people to be able to converse and ask questions about current events and their relation to politics. The club’s objective is to inspire curiosity about politics, whether it’s someone who doesn’t have any prior knowledge and wants to know more, or someone who wants to keep up with current events but doesn’t know where to start.

Why do you think it is important for young people to educate themselves on our government and politics? Why have we been seeing such an emphasis on young voters lately?

It’s important for young people to educate themselves on these subjects because policy-making at every level of government has a massive impact on our daily lives. We might not immediately realize it, but the more someone knows about politics and government, the more they are able to identify these impacts and tailor their vote based on what is truly best for them. We’re seeing an emphasis on young voters because they are the next generation of voters, and their decisions hold disproportionate weight due to the fact that they are the most open-minded.

What factors might make a (young) person less likely to vote?

The largest factor is accessibility, because if someone has to put in a lot of effort to vote, they are more likely to be discouraged from voting. This is why it’s important to have policies that encourage voting through making it more convenient. Additionally, making it easy to learn about the issues on the ballot is important because people often don’t know what is in their best interest.

Where should a person start to learn about politics, especially before casting their ballot (if they’re of age to vote)?

People should at least look through their sample ballot in order to know everything they are voting for before they vote. There are also many websites and voter guides that will give you the information and arguments for both sides of the measures and elections.

How do you personally foster that political education or interest, and how can Windward?

I personally foster my interest in politics through constantly keeping myself updated on current events and updates in the election. For the people around me, I try to engage in conversations about politics in order to make sure that we’re able to talk through important ideas and news. The best way for our community to foster this education is simply through having conversations about these topics in a non-biased way in order to promote all perspectives.

With many seniors having turned eighteen just before the election, why do you think it was so important that they registered to vote?

It’s important to register to vote because although we live in California, no election is a foregone conclusion. Furthermore, there are many ballot measures and local elections in California that are just as important and maybe even more impactful on our daily lives [than the presidential election]. Everyone that can should vote because that is how we make our voices heard in democracy. It’s the best way to promote our quality of life.

Have you done anything to promote voter registration either at or outside of Windward?

Through the Politics Club, Van, Carter M. (‘25) and I have provided websites to students that enable them to check if they are registered and if they are not, to register.