By Kayla Hoang, Staff Writer, & Bethany Pham, News Editor
As Nov. 6 nears, it’s almost impossible to avoid political campaign advertisements for the upcoming congressional elections. Whether you’re listening to the radio, streaming music or watching videos online, you’ll hear ads bashing one candidate only to get another ad supporting that same candidate just a few minutes later. Like it or not, politics shapes how we live our lives, and groups like Political Awareness Club (PAC) and Social Advocacy & Awareness Club (SAAC) want students at Fountain Valley to understand that as soon as they can.
This week, PAC and SAAC are working together to hold a voter registration drive. United by their common goals and interests, they cooperated to make sure FVHS students have the chance to make a difference in their community in the approaching election.
“This is the first collaboration between PAC and SAAC,” said SAAC president Lilian Vo. “The partnership was inspired by the similar goal of wanting to motivate students to practice their right to vote and become involved in political issues. Both clubs promote the high value and reward of political engagement and discourse.”
PAC originally held a voting booth last year to involve more students into their government and community. Now entering their second year of spreading political awareness, PAC plans to solidify the drive with SAAC into an annual club event for the future.
“It’s so important for our voices to be heard,” said PAC co-president Valerie Boutros. “We represent the youth of America. Most people our age think that ‘voting is for later’ and that they’ll ‘vote eventually when they’re older’; however, we want to break this cycle of silence.”
That cycle of silence is reflected in election stats that consistently point out that the youngest demographic eligible to vote often has the lowest turnout. It’s why the organizers felt it was important to make the registration process as accessible to students as possible.
“Much of the student population is at least 16, which means they can pre-register to vote and become automatically registered at 18,” said Vo. “It is important for students to be civically engaged and educated at a young age because the events and decisions that occur in the world affect us or will affect us in the future.”
This week’s voter registration drive has offered electronic registration in an effort to make the process easier on those registering and more convenient to spread the word to friends.
“To young people and the students of FVHS, please vote and register to vote,” Vo said. “No matter what others say, your voice matters, and people want to listen to you, so don’t be quiet, complacent, or apathetic. Young people will change the world, and it starts with you.”
