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First-time High School Voters Ready For Presidential Race

Credit Phil Roeder / Creative Commons
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Creative Commons
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) speaks to high school students in Des Moines earlier this month.

Among those going to the polls during the March 15 presidential primary in Illinois will be a large number of first-time voters, many still in high school. A change in voter registration rules is allowing young people to vote in the primary as long as they will turn 18 by the general election on Nov. 8.

Phylis VerSteegh of the McLean County League of Women Voters has been going out to schools with other League members to register these young voters and listening to their comments on the long list of presidential contenders. 

Many  students say they are excited about the candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont), particularly Sanders' proposal for free college tuition for all. But one boy from Leroy High School told his civics teacher he plans to work for Republican contender Donald Trump, VerSteegh says.

"The students seem to be educated as to the candidates out there," she says. "I think the students have listened to their parents and their friends and they are on social media and they know what those candidates stand for."

VerSteegh credits the return of civics classes to the public schools with fostering a knowledge and interest in the political process among students.

In this interview, VerSteegh talks about her encounters with students and describes the mechanics of registering to vote in both the March 15 primary as well as the general election in November.

On line registration to vote in the March 15 primary has now closed, but registration is still possible by going to the Bloomington Elections Commission office for Bloomington residents, and the McLean County Clerk's office for other residents. There is still plenty of time register both on line and in person for the Nov. 8 general election. There's more information about registering at www.lwvmclean.org.

At Normal West High School, a number of seniors say they can't wait to vote for the first time in the March 15 presidential primary. One of them is 18-year-old Taylor Barnard, president of her school's Social Studies Club. In this interview, she talks about how she is trying to decided between between Democratic candidates Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, although she also likes Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio's stand on national security. 

160222HighSchoolVoter.mp3

Barnard and other voters can learn more about the candidates running in local contested races at a public forum March 3 at 6 p.m. at Uptown Galleries in Normal, co-sponsored by WGLT and the McLean County League of Women Voters.

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