Eagle Era

An overview of the school’s voter registration event with the League of Women Voters

By Suhani Thakkar

As juniors and seniors near adulthood, they get ready to enter a new phase in their lives and participate in voting. When they turn 16, students can pre-register to vote and prepare to take part in America’s democracy, but for many students, the process of pre-registering is unfamiliar. To help, AHS collaborated with the League of Women Voters on February 23rd for a pre-registration event to guide students through the process.

The event was a product of the hard work and dedication of student organizers like Ayushi Makhija (11). She explained, “This event took months of planning with the League of Women Voters, and we faced many challenges as our school had a smaller team in charge of this event—putting lots of pressure and responsibilities on each of us.”

In the end, all of their hard work was worth it, as many students, including Shari Vaidya (11), said that they truly learned from this experience. “I really liked the event, and I now finally understand what the whole pre-registration process is and how I can participate in it.”

The event meant a lot to many of the organizers due to their belief in the importance of pre-registering. Makhija said, “When our team had meetings with the League of Women Voters, we noticed that those who register to vote once usually continue to do so for the next elections. So by getting younger people involved sooner, we can encourage their civic participation in the future as well.”

The League of Women Voters held up signs to promote their organization (Photo Credit: League of Women Voters).

Amaris LeBron, a state representative with the League of Women Voters, believes that efforts like this only benefit the younger generation. “These kinds of events can really help get students thinking about politics—and even if they are not ready to register yet—just having the information and the ability to know how to vote truly empowers them,” said LeBron.

Many students, including Sahana Reka (11), are slightly hesitant to register as they reflect on the whole process of voting. “I genuinely want to register, but first I need to educate myself about what is truly happening in our government,” said Reka. “I believe others should also be informed before making their choices.”

LeBron provided a solution, explaining the many ways that students can get more involved with their government. “There are lots of things students can do to boost their civic engagement. Whether it is joining an organization or getting involved in the community through things like peaceful protests, every small thing counts.” 

Shari Vaidya (11) shared a similar opinion that civic involvement is crucial considering the current political climate. “With all of the things going around our country with ICE, the Epstein Files, Trump, tariffs, et cetera, I feel like people need to be more willing to vote or protest and inform themselves on the things that are going on around them because it impacts each and every one of us.”