In the midst of a global pandemic and an intense chain of social activism, the 2020 election will be unlike anything in the past.
The East community has contributed to the political sphere by voicing their opinions or volunteering their time, and The Harbinger has created a collection of those ideals.
Following the second presidential debate, senior Emmett Liljegren’s phone buzzed with GroupMe responses to a poll another member had created, asking, “Who ‘won’ the final debate?”
According to Liljegren, the senior class’ GroupMe has been a source of chaotic political frenzy where heated disagreements over a range of ideas like whether school sports should continue or if the Trump Administration should be allowed to confirm a new Supreme Court appointee. These text chains have contributed to the political tension throughout the East community. Liljegren, along with other East students, say they wish opinionated discussions that break out within the chat could be more civil — and that those discussions could continue into in-person conversations too.
“I’ve definitely noticed [political tension at East] in the senior group chat,” Liljegren said. “People are arguing with each other all the time and nobody ever changes anybody’s minds and it just feels really hostile.”
With jabs like “you’re a snowflake” or “you’re so ignorant” being thrown around in group chats and both sides of the political aisle hurling insults at each other through social media posts, the idea of respectful political conversations feel uncommon, according to senior Beau Warner.
“There’s always people who see somebody with a Trump flag and then they get mad or the other side around,” Warner said. “People make big judgements about you if you say what side you’re on, so I don’t want to say anything that makes people think about me in a certain way.”
The worry of judgement after expressing their views on issues like taxes or foreign relations fill the minds of Warner and other East students.
East English teacher Samantha Feinberg wishes political debates in this election year would stray away from the ad hominem mindset where argumentative attacks are thrown at one’s character rather than their policy beliefs and plans for the future of the U.S. She thinks a more constructive way of discussing politics would be debating an idea on its merits or analyzing the argument the other person is putting forth.
While there are currently English class debates about literary themes such as materialism or figurative language, Liljegren feels it would be beneficial to weave in applicable political discussions so students can practice how to have respectful conversations with facts to back their opinions up. He feels this would help people learn to share their opinions without the name-calling.
As an AP Language and Composition teacher, it’s Feinberg’s job to teach students how to advance an argument and support it with evidence. In her mind, the classroom setting is a perfect place to help students learn how to be civil while discussing sometimes inflammatory topics like wealth inequality and misogyny.
“If we don’t talk about [politics] then we have a breakdown of civility because people don’t know how to civilly talk,” Feinberg said. “They just fight, argue, name call or shout and get ugly with each other.”
Liljegren, Warner and Feinberg agree that all sides should work to understand differing viewpoints, especially in an election year with unprecedentedly divisive candidates They believe Trump supporters should listen to and understand the marginalized groups their beliefs target, while Biden supporters should educate themselves on the current administration’s reasonings for certain policies. Political tension won’t be something that goes away as students grow up, so Feinberg feels they should start preparing now.
“I think if people just stopped and listened to each other, a lot of minds would be changed instead of just this back and forth that does nothing,” Liljegren said.
Despite the nationwide election worker shortage, Johnson County has a surplus of election workers preparing to guide voters through a COVID-friendly voting process, according to Kansas Secretary of State spokesperson Katie Koupal.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab created the Students Serve program in response to local election officials’ requests for more poll workers. The Students Serve program is aimed towards young people aged 16 and older to encourage them to work the polls — and through social media marketing, they’ve reached a wide audience.
“I’m really pleased to report that we’ve had great success with those recruitment efforts,” Koupal said. “We attribute a lot of that to the social media companies working with us, like one weekend we got over 1,100 applications.”
But last spring when the pandemic hit, there were concerns about the impact it would have on older and more vulnerable poll workers, according to Koupal. Those concerns prompted members of the East community to rise to the occasion.
Junior poll worker Kay Kay Winn didn’t want to pass up the “once in a lifetime opportunity” to gain a new perspective on the election process, as four years from now she’ll be able to cast her own ballot.
“I feel like as a teen who has less risk of getting COVID, it’s my responsibility to stand in for [the elderly]. I know that overall, my safety can’t be guaranteed, but [the polling places] are definitely taking precautions.”
JUNIOR KAY KAY WINN
Economics teacher Robert Bickers’ wife, Elisa Bickers, decided to apply once she realized that the pandemic allowed for more flexibility in her busy schedule.
“Being an organized and friendly poll worker to contribute a smiling face when people are worried about a virus and politics just seems like one of the most important ways I can contribute to other people’s sense of participating in our democracy,” Bickers said.
Personal protective equipment kits — including gloves, disinfectants, masks and hand sanitizers — were purchased for every polling location in Kansas using Federal CARES Act funding, given to the state to help counteract COVID-19. They also purchased two or more plexiglass shields for each Kansas polling location.
With that being said, there are a lot of common touchpoints when people vote, such as when they sign in to vote they might use an electronic voting machine, according to Koupal. To limit those common touchpoints, the state of Kansas purchased stylus pens for every voter who will be voting in person at the polls.
“I’m not really worried about it because they’ve taken so many precautions,” junior poll worker Emma Lee said. “But there will be a lot of people going through the voting centers, so that’s kind of a worry.”
This year, there has been a dramatic increase in advance-by-mail ballot requests, according to Koupal. So far 472,281 advance-by-mail Kansas ballots have been sent out, compared to 148,365 in the 2016 election.
Although a large portion of the anticipated 70% Kansas voter turnout will be voting by mail, poll workers will be located at polling stations to assist all those who choose to cast their ballots in person.
“They’re our frontline workers,” Koupal said. “They’re the people you see setting up the polling locations, checking you in and answering any questions you may have when you vote. They play a very important role in helping administer elections, which is why it’s so important that we have enough election workers.”
When voting, it’s important to know who will be on your ballot and what they stand for.
Below is a brief summary of what each of the candidates believe in to get you started. The following information was collected from each candidate’s website.
President of the United States
This is a bad time to be born in 2003. It may sound like a coming-of-age movie cliché where I’m about to go yell at my parents for not letting me go to a party, but teens are actually facing a more serious predicament: we want to vote.
We’re caught up in the effects of a global pandemic, witnessing the ripples of change from the Black Lives Matter movement and facing the fear of a rapidly changing climate. Now, we’re beginning to form our own ideas on how to address these issues. But for most high schoolers, voting is a power that’s tantalizingly out of reach.
No matter your political party, this election has come to feel essential. Whether from TikTok or the New York Times, we’ve all found ways to educate ourselves and express our beliefs. We constantly see commercials on TV promoting voting registration and celebrities telling people their votes matter. It’s easy to come to the conclusion that while our parent’s votes may matter, our opinions don’t.
Instead of moping around in my teen angst, I’ve found productivity in ways besides voting to express my opinion in politics.
I’ve been involved in debate since seventh grade and have been following politics ever since. In my mind, some solutions and ideas seem obvious. Becoming educated on the world we live in has always been a requirement in my mind, not a game to be played once every four years. Now that the election is coming up, it’s easy for me to get irritated because I know that at the end of the day, I’ve worked harder to learn about politics than some of the people that will determine the outcome of this election.
A politician has to do a lot of work leading up to their potential re-election. Local representatives are often overlooked, but they will actually make far more decisions for you than the president will, so it’s important to be both educated on who they are, and to volunteer for their campaigns.
Analysis of potential donors and canvassing are some of the most common tasks teenagers can do to help a local politician. Some politicians will ask for volunteers, and others will offer paying positions.
Most local policy makers welcome teens onto their campaign, so if you can’t vote, this is a spectacular way to promote your views. Do your research, find a politician you agree with and reach out to them, offering to help with their campaign.
If you aren’t sure what your political views are yet, that’s perfectly fine. There’s no reason you should have your political party set in stone as a teenager. You have plenty of time to learn and grow before the next election, and there are bipartisan ways to get involved. Most notably, working the polls.
While it’s a little late to sign up as a poll worker for this election, poll workers are always in high demand. Especially right now, since elderly people more commonly work polls and they shouldn’t be exposed to large groups of people during the pandemic.
Hopefully during the midterms we won’t have to worry about the pandemic quite as much, but working the polls will remain one of the best ways to help the functionality of our democracy.
Then of course, advocate. Everyone is passionate about something. Just because you can’t vote doesn’t mean your voice shouldn’t be heard. March at protests, chant at rallies, even just signing a petition can make a big difference. One of the most common misconceptions is that advocacy is hard, and it can be, but if you don’t want to organize an event, then just attending one can be enough.
It’s easy to be frustrated about not being able to vote, but there’s so much more you can do. Use the lack of a vote as a motivator, not a deterrent. You can still help the people that will be on the ballot, and that is a power often left unacknowledged. If you want, you can be annoyed about being a teenager, but a politically active teenager can have more influence on the election than you can imagine.
