League of Women Voters Helps Students Register to Vote
Source/Author: Raffi Darrow, Ebytes Editor
May 03, 2018
On Wednesday in the Landy Hall foyer, Shorecrest Upper School was joined by the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area (LWVSPA), a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influences public policy through education and advocacy. Sophie Elwyn ’19 and Sarah Miller ‘19 invited the group on campus to help students pre-register/register to vote.
Did you know a 16 year old can pre-register to vote? The information and available paperwork at Shorecrest allowed for 28 registrations and 13 signed commitments to vote, and 15 students also filled out Vote By Mail request forms to receive their specific ballot in the mail well before voting starts. Receiving this information in advance will make it easier for students to research the candidates and issues on their ballots, according to their own individual schedules, and make informed choices.
“Sophie and Sarah did an excellent job educating their fellow students about Florida's Closed Primary system and the fact that this year's ballot will be extra long, packed with - not only several candidate races on the federal, state, county and, in some cases, municipal levels - but also with 13 state ballot amendments (and probably additional ballot questions relating to city & county issues).” said Raechel Garafalo, LWVSPA Director and Voter Service Chair.
This important opportunity was an effort to further develop civic engagement for our students and our community.
