The Campbell Reporter

Letters & Opinions

Teens need more than a voter registration card

By Moryt Milo

State Assemblyman Joe Coto thinks getting 18-year-olds to fill out voter registration cards as part of their high school graduation process will jump-start an interest in going to the polls during an election.

The idea has its merits, but the likelihood of it stirring the civic juices is probably slim to none.

It is going to require much more than filling out a name, address and party affiliation--if teens even have one--to generate enthusiasm about our government and the politicians who run it. Having served as superintendent for East Side Union High School District in San Jose for 14 years, Coto should know this better than most, and he should know the answer to resolving voter apathy among the youth is through education and by example.

How can a high schooler develop a passion for politics or the process if he or she doesn't understand it? High school government classes often rely too heavily on textbooks, which are frequently outdated and unengaging. Instead, Coto should sponsor a bill that funnels money into the schools that is earmarked for field trips to local and statewide governments so students can see their elected officials at work. They can learn how policy is created and hear the arguments for and against a bill when the assembly or city councils are in session. They can see how a representative votes and why, and then they would have a taste of government at its best or its worst. The experience would be up close and personal, and it might put a fire in their bellies to get involved in the political process. Or they might be put off by the entire experience. Either way, having witnessed history in the making on a small or large scale might encourage these teens to take charge of their future and vote in an upcoming election.

To accomplish this, teachers have to incorporate into their coursework the importance of becoming politically savvy.

Last October we wrote about two high school teachers who do just that. Cara Drumm at Archbishop Mitty and Robert Beebe at Del Mar High School go the extra mile in their U.S. government classes. Both teachers want their students to understand that one vote can make a difference and that remaining uninformed and disinterested affects their future, as well as those around them. These teachers make sure their students are involved by reviewing statewide propositions or local issues on the ballots. They discuss candidates and, in the case of Drumm's class, a number of students spent a week in Washington, D.C., discovering the inner workings of Congress. Beebe keeps voter registration cards in his classroom. This places him ahead of the Coto curve. The forms are easily available and every teacher could have a stack of the cards in the classroom, with no strings attached, for any students turning 18.

The upshot of Drumm's and Beebe's efforts: students have gotten interested in government because they can see the impact of their voice. More importantly they see how their friend's vote matters, and they can get their peers excited about voting.

That is exactly what we need to generate a snowball effect of voters between the ages of 18 and 24, a group that has an abysmal 17 percent turnout.

The other important component to this problem is setting an example. If teens see their parents and other adults uninterested in the process, why would they think it matters? Adults are as much to blame as newly minted voters for the poor showing at the polls.

Yet during the last election, voters did voice their opinions and told those in government that it was time for change. Voter behavior shifted the balance of power in our federal government. That is a perfect example of how one vote times a million can matter and a great starting point for classroom discussion.

We don't need to fund more paperwork as Coto's bill proposes. Let's take those dollars and educate our students on the importance of going to the polls, by giving teachers the right tools to stir up voter passion in these young adults. And let's start setting a good example as adults, with better than average voter turnout.

Moryt Milo is the editor for The Campbell Reporter. She can be reached at 408. 200.1051 or via email @mmilo@community- newspapers.com.