By Emily Wong
With political polarization becoming more extreme throughout the country, it's more crucial than ever to be informed and politically active so that we are electing candidates who will represent our voices in government. The youth vote can especially sway elections, and the more young people (ages 18-24) turn out to vote in the upcoming elections, the more we're taking charge of what we want our nation to look like decades from now. However, as high schoolers who are not old enough to vote yet, it's easy to feel that we're left out of the process--as a current 17 year old myself, I wish that I could vote in the 2022 November midterms, but unfortunately, there's no ballot to my name. Yet, it's important to note that there are several ways besides voting that a high schooler can participate in politics--and when we start engaging early on, we'll be able to navigate politics and electoral processes much more smoothly as young adults. From campaigning to starting clubs, here are 3 ways to be more politically involved as a high schooler!
1. Social Media
Social media, which is utilized by the vast majority of high schoolers, is a wonderful way to stay politically informed by keeping up with politicians and news organizations. Politicians consistently post about their legislative priorities and connect with constituents on their platforms, including Instagram and Twitter, providing more much-needed transparency about day-to-day government. Many of my classmates like to repost political news on their Instagram stories, which informs their followers of what's happening around the world. Furthermore, when following media outlets, it's crucial to note media literacy, as political bias is heavy in media (e.g. FOX News tends to lean conservative, while The New York Times tends to lean liberal). Reading both sides of an issue, no matter how polarized it is, will help you become more educated on the topic so that you're able to form your own opinion.
2. Political Campaigns
From local to congressional, political campaigns have ample opportunities for high schoolers to get involved as election season rolls around. Political campaigns focus on electing candidates into office, and they rely on large volunteer bases to reach out to voters to popularize candidates' names and issue platforms. A typical high school volunteer's campaign duties would be phonebanking (calling voters) and canvassing (knocking on doors to speak with voters) to convince constituents on why they should vote for their candidate. While talking to strangers can be intimidating (especially for a shy person like me), pushing out of your comfort zone will help you develop your persuasive skills as well as learn more about the issues affecting certain communities, whether it's homelessness or poor roads. Besides voter outreach, campaigns oftentimes search for help in social media marketing and fundraising, so if you possess (or want to expand) skills in these areas, campaigns would be more than happy to have you. You can find campaign volunteering opportunities through candidates' social media pages and local news coverage.
3. Internship at an Elected Official's Office
Political campaigning can help qualify you for an internship with an elected official, whether it's your City Councilmember or Congressmember. This kind of internship is invaluable to gaining an insider look of how governmental offices are run on a daily basis, and it may even open up career prospects for you. An intern's typical responsibilities include responding to constituent inquiries through phone and email, attending public functions, conducting legislative research, and working on long-term staff projects. For example, when I interned at the mayor's office this past summer, I built on my administrative skills as well as worked closely with the communications department to prepare speeches for the mayor. Keep in mind, though, that it's quite common for political offices to not accept high school interns due to the confidential nature of constituent casework.
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