Graham Jackson, Features Editor
Featured image credit: Graham Jackson
A student shows up at their polling location at a New Canaan school on the evening of November 3. They wait briefly in line, a fan slowly humming and reverberating in the cavernous room.
The student picks up a thin paper sheet from a poll worker, walks to a partitioned desk and fills out the empty boxes, selecting their candidate of choice. After reading the ballot once over, they then place the sheet in the ballot machine. A poll worker hands them a red, white and blue “I Voted” sticker as they walk away, having directly participated in American democracy for the first time in their life.
This experience will be that of many New Canaan seniors this coming November. With various state and national offices up for election, civic engagement throughout the community is prevalent as campaign signs line roads and various students partake in their own ways.
Such is the case of senior Jack Busby, who is currently engaged in a local campaign for Connecticut House of Representatives incumbent Tom O’Dea. According to Jack, his family played a role in his political activism. “I grew up in a family that is very educated when it comes to political discourse and how politics shape the economy and everything you do on a day-to-day basis,” he said. “My grandfather is a trial lawyer. I can remember, since I was seven or eight, watching the presidential debates with him”
Jack also spoke about the difficulty of finding candidates he supports. “I have trouble finding someone who fully represents my views, someone who mirrors what I believe in clearly,” he said. “It’s not just someone who will protect me, but my friends and my family and everyone who I care about.”
While many seniors will be eligible to vote in the November’s general elections, that doesn’t guarantee high voter turnout. According to a survey conducted by Tufts University, in the previous 2024 General Election, only 36% of 18-19-year-olds voted. This figure is still at 46% when the age range is increased to include 18-29-year-olds. Lack of youth participation in elections has the potential to hurt the collective influence of younger voters in elections and politics.
Jack spoke to the important role of today’s youth in politics, “We are the next generation, we are the future,” he said. “If we’re going to build the next policymakers, politicians and lobbyists, we have to start now. As long as we’ve been growing up, we’ve always had the same politicians and the same faces.”
Get out there and vote. There’s nothing more important.
Natalie Kenin, 2029
While it will only be seniors eligible to vote this November, that has not halted younger students from being engaged citizens. Sophomore Natalie Kenin and junior Elizabeth Carlon are the Vote New Canaan club’s student advisors. Through Vote New Canaan, Natalie and Elizabeth help increase awareness about elections and help students register to vote.
Elizabeth discussed how the main objective of Vote New Canaan is voter awareness. “Our main goal is getting people informed and aware of what’s going on politically,” she said. “We want them to know that they do have that opportunity to vote and get their voice heard. We’ve done voter registration drives at libraries, at the high school, and sent out postcards to get people informed.”
Elizabeth said that social issues are a major focus for members of the student body. “I think social issues are definitely becoming more important,” she said. “They’re the things affecting the people around us in our communities and that you see on a day-to-day basis that you’re not happy about.”
Natalie talked about the importance of making informed civic decisions with reliable information. “You want to make sure that information isn’t just coming from social media,” she said. “With more accurate sources, people can make more informed and better decisions for our future.”
Natalie and Elizabeth both discussed the importance of voting for eligible students. “Get out there and vote. There’s nothing more important. Your opinion is valid as is everyone else’s, and we live in a democracy. It’s super important to exercise your power and use your voice,” Natalie said.
Elizabeth agreed. “If you don’t even register, you don’t have a choice,” she said.
