Nashville set a record last year for registering high school voters. But few made it to the polls, with young people ages 18 to 24 making up just 2 percent of the turnout in the last local election. Officials announced Friday they are expanding their teen voter drive.
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I just think [registration] is such an easy process to do that it’s shocking that so many young people don’t do it,” said Cameron Carey, a junior and member of the Mayor’s Youth Council.
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And just to hear that statistic that it’s 2 percent of youth that made up the election for the mayor — that’s just crazy.”
The all-out voter campaign includes assemblies at 33 schools this month, each led by at least one elected official. Some will bring voting machines into schools with sample questions to show how they work.
And the assemblies even feature a Stratford High School student remix video of “Uptown Funk” that converts the lyrics to be all about voting.
The push comes in a busy election year that starts with the March primary.
The first assembly, Friday at Hume Fogg, featured the stern words of AP government teacher Allison Halbrook, known for getting 100 percent of her students signed up.
“When every election rolls around, I want them to hear my voice and see my face and remember that it is their duty.”
Senior Marie Dewitt said the campaign can change minds.
“If I was kind of on the fence about it, I know this would have made me think, you know, it’s cool to go out and vote and share my voice,” she said.
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And the very least they can do is get up and go down to the polling center, and vote.
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Officials hope to set another new record for registrations, which topped 1,500 last year. Hume Fogg led the way, followed by Antioch and Pearl Cohn high schools.
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