Amidst our country’s relentless political turmoil, some are distancing themselves from news and politics entirely. However, seniors Julia Butch and Ariza Nanji understand the importance of staying politically active. As the leaders of Politics Club, they know from years of experience how to foster political discourse between students and keep them informed. “We were talking about how we really want to take politics club to the next level this year and basically leave our legacy,” says Julia. Their goal this year is to promote more civic engagement at Barstow. In order to achieve this goal, they launched a voter registration drive for Barstow students and teachers, working with nonprofit organization Headcount.
Starting at the club fair, volunteers worked during and after school to register voters at a table, which they set up here at Barstow. Students wanting to register need only have their IDs verified by workers at the table, then they fill out forms and select a political affiliation. After they finish the brief process, organizers send the information to Headcount, a nonpartisan organization which encourages political participation in the United States. Headcount will verify their registrations, then send them an email confirming their status as a newly registered voter. “Voting is a part of our civic duty,” says Ariza. She explains why students should care, saying, “This midterm election is such a critical time in politics. This election impacts the future on both the national and local government front. We believe that Barstow students and faculty should not miss out on this process.”
Julia and Ariza are looking for volunteers to help with the effort, promising on-campus service hours in return for time spent working at the registration table. “This is a great opportunity for students to come and help out with something,” says Julia. “If they don’t feel like working a whole soccer game, they can come for an hour and really help out with the community.” “Also,” says Ariza, “everyone should spread the word and encourage their peers to get out and vote!”
In addition to this ambitious effort, Julia and Ariza have ambitions aplenty for politics club this year. Plans include a field trip to Jefferson City, MO, an event during assembly involving political quizzes with prizes, and a bulletin board in the hallway serving to keep students informed about current politics. “We really want to foster open communication with more people, so that people can have a safe space to express their ideas,” says Julia.
Despite the obvious dedication and hard work which Julia and Ariza are putting into this project, some students may not take advantage of this opportunity or help out, because of political apathy. Julia says that students who do not care about politics should, “rethink it because it’s not a waste of time.” Ariza elaborates, saying, “Politics have a direct impact on your life. Not only is it one’s civic duty to vote, but it is important to know what is going on.” “Look around,” pleads Julia, “you have to care about politics to a certain degree; I’m sure you do.”
Politics club will be registering voters again on September 25th, October 2nd, and October 9th, giving those who will be 18 by November a chance to register and anyone else the chance to obtain service hours.
