The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

The Student News Site of Westborough High School

The Lobby Observer

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Teens take a larger stake in politics

by Chris Litchfield

At the height of this year’s campaign season, a greater emphasis has been placed on teenagers, both as young voters and volunteers, than ever before. On a national level, Barack Obama has made numerous appeals to the younger demographic by utilizing current technologies; his campaign sports a sleek website, Facebook applications, and text message announcements. But while the national campaigns seek to energize younger voters, there remains a huge opportunity for high school students to get involved in local politics.

One campaign specifically has been very effective in recruiting high school students to become involved in the political process. State Representative Jamie Eldridge, a democrat running to succeed Pam Resor in the State Senate, finds himself in a tight race against Republican Stephen Levy. But during a time when the economy is financially strapped and most adults do not have the time to help in local elections, the Eldridge campaign has sought a different volunteer base. Reaching out to high school and college students, Eldridge has built a formidable campaign with young people at its heart.

Eldridge, who recently turned 35, first got involved in politics as a high school student in Acton, working for Bob Durand’s State Senate campaign; an election for the same seat Jamie is contending today. He worked as a town coordinator for Durand’s successful campaign, and there first learned the importance of energizing the largest untapped demographic: young non-voters.

Ever since Eldridge first ran for State Representative he has relied heavily on students as a base for volunteers. In his current campaign, there are over 20 consistent volunteers in both high school and college; compared to the total 5 staff members, who themselves are no older than 40; that number is staggering. Eldridge’s volunteer coordinator, Brendan Jarboe, recently graduated from college and believes it is not only useful for young people to get involved in politics and campaigning, but it is also fundamentally important.

According to Jarboe, many of the issues, especially education, are decided at the local level. Unfortuately, teenagers do not have a say in these concerns even though they are directly affected by the political decisions. Therefore, working on a campaign empowers teenagers, giving them access to the political process. In addition, younger people have a larger stake in our future, but still are limited in opportunities to get involved. And, contrary to popular believe, teens should get involved in politics because, as Jarboe says, “it is a lot of fun.”

Many high school students shy away from politics because they do not think that they can change anything, but Jarboe disagrees. “Young people can play a pivotal role in deciding the outcome of elections. They can make a huge amount of difference.” In Westborough, where the Eldridge campaign faces an uphill battle, it is completely run by Westborough High School students. Senior Victor Zhivich, one of the first to help Eldridge in Westborough, was amazed by how little teenagers, himself included, knew about the world around them. “People can truly make a difference by passing out information and being proactive,” says Zhivich. Although he understands why many do not want to get involved, especially those with only passing interest in politics, he feels that participating is important because it is “good to understand the process, even if you don’t love it.”

Another WHS volunteer, junior Veronica Hilton, has enjoyed her time volunteering, despite her earlier misgivings. “Before, I honestly didn’t want to get involved,” says Hilton, “because it was outside of my comfort zone. I’ve made a lot of new friends and learned a lot about the world around me by volunteering.”

With less than 15 days left before the election, campaigns across the United States are making their final pushes. High school students, especially in Westborough, have a huge number of opportunities to get involved. Unknown to many, the politics of local officials have a tremendous impact on teenagers. By volunteering, a previously remote group can, and is beginning to, truly change our world.

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