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October 31, 2024
Discover how student-driven initiatives and dedicated civics education transformed a Pittsburgh high school’s voter registration efforts, achieving a remarkable 94 percent registration rate among eligible students.
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By Sara Waechter
I always talk to my civics students about voting. “I’m going to try to convince you by the end of the year, that you should vote when you turn 18,” I tell my ninth graders. In past years, some of them would roll their eyes and whine, “Why do I need civics? You’re not teaching me anything that matters!” Once, when I started talking about registering to vote, a student ran up two flights of stairs to get away from me.
This year it’s different. When I approach students in the halls and ask about registering to vote, they thank me and eagerly gather the information they need — and sometimes they’re the same students who complained just a few short years ago. One of my students even signed up to be a poll worker and is super excited about the work.
This year we registered 94 percent of eligible students at our school to vote; only one eligible student declined. That’s a total of 17 students who are now registered voters at the Barack Obama Academy of International Studies in Pittsburgh.
Really, the students have driven the effort, which is probably why it’s been so successful. They share information on social media, pass the voter registration QR codes around and communicate on a group chat about voting. Some of them belong to the My School Votes club, and some attended the Allegheny Youth Vote Huddle event, which was run by other kids in our county. They learned how to register their peers and talked about the importance of voting, all with people their own age.
The hype around the elections has also grabbed their attention, but I find that kids are staying more and more informed of current events in general, and different issues resonate with them more than they did before.
This year we registered 94 percent of eligible students at our school to vote; only one eligible student declined.
Of course, it’s not all easy. In past years we tried to register kids during lunch but — in case you ever want to try this yourself — it doesn’t work that way. No one wants to take time out at lunch to register to vote. So this year we’ve been pulling kids out of their social studies classes for a few minutes. I put together a list of when students are in their social studies classes, and our team of students uses a group chat and database to coordinate when to visit. My students arrive at the class and ask to see the student for five minutes. Then they register them right there in the hallway, over the phone. There’s even a way to sign the forms from their phones.
My involvement is mostly in the background, but it can be challenging when the kids ask me who I’m voting for — which they do, constantly. They want to know my thoughts on the most recent headlines, the appalling behavior and crazy ads they see in the media. In Pennsylvania, we have more than our share.
In 2020, our social studies department, with the support of our principal, decided it would be OK to tell the kids who we’re voting for, and that’s what I’m doing again this year. We never tell them who they should vote for, and always emphasize that their vote is entirely their choice. The important thing is that they get out there and vote. But many of them look at me — a white woman — and assume I would vote for Trump. With so many marginalized students from low-income families, Black and immigrant communities, and with LGBTQIA+ kids, even girls, I could not let them think that I support the things that he does.
Democracy depends on the people being informed about how it works. Without that understanding, you can be led down a path of misinformation and misunderstanding.
Ultimately, though, it’s not about who I’m voting for. It’s about educating the students about their role in civic life. Civics education is huge. Democracy depends on the people being informed about how it works. Without that understanding, you can be led down a path of misinformation and misunderstanding. You can be manipulated.
As teachers, regardless of what our views are, we have to model that we go out and vote and make it clear why voting is important to us. We can help students understand that regardless of who they’re voting for, voting is the way to get their voices heard.
I teach civics because I wholeheartedly believe that everybody should be represented by our government. The way that can happen is if we all go out and vote. If we don’t vote we’re giving away that power, we’re giving away that voice and we’re letting other people decide how we should be represented.
Republished with permission from AFT Voices.
Sara Waechter is a ninth grade civics teacher at Barack Obama Academy of International Studies in Pittsburgh, and a member of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.
Explore our election resources to engage your students in learning about the election process and its significance at every level. Discover lessons on election fundamentals, laws, security, current events, youth involvement, and historic U.S. elections.
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