The presidential election is coming up on November 3rd, and we are seeing more young people involved than ever. There has been a substantial increase in the number of young people that say they will be voting this election, as well as young people unable to vote getting involved in the election. So how are Ralston Valley students staying involved?

Jordan Kauffman, a junior, is passionate about politics and its effect on everyone’s lives. Even though she is not yet old enough to vote, you will still see her at the polls on election day. She will be volunteering to help at the polls on election day through an organization called Poll Hero Project. They are working to recruit college and high school students, mostly through social media, to help work at the polls in order to learn more about our government’s democratic process and get them involved. 

Kauffman decided to become more involved this year because she said that “This election feels like a big one. You can see all the companies are telling people to vote, the NFl and all the celebrities are all telling everyone to vote. It just feels like there’s more people involved” and this wide range of encouraging voters to get involved has inspired her to see what she could do. Kauffman finds the majority of her information regarding the election candidates and their policies through websites she finds on social media. She also continues to learn and spread information through social media posts. 

Kauffman is not the only one who gets and shares information through social media. Cade Oster, a junior, also finds and shares information this way. In regards to sharing information Oster said, “I’m not really able to voice my opinion through voting yet so I share it through my instagram and snapchat and things like that”. In addition to social media and websites, Oster also finds information from looking directly on the candidates websites, or watching the debates himself in order to form the most educated opinion she can. 

Anna Pesce, a freshman at CU Boulder and a first time voter this election, said she was also involved through social media and sharing her opinion for previous elections, but this is her first election where she can actually participate in voting. She feels this is such an important election, not only because of the candidates and their contradicting policies, but because for the first time this election will directly impact her and her friends. As a first time voter Pesce said “I feel a moral obligation to get informed and cast an educated vote for who I think is best for our country”.Pesce expresses that while she also finds information through social media she is careful about fact checking and trying to find unbiased information in order to make sure her vote is informed. 

When it comes to the election, there are still ways for high school students to stay involved and informed and it starts now. Whether it be through volunteering, voicing your opinion on social media, or just finding a way to stay informed, there are so many ways Ralston Valley students have chosen to stay involved in this election.