* Donald Trump won the 2024 election. This article was written before the election.

As the 2024 election approaches, some seniors in Wayne Valley will be voting for the first time. Our government relies on voting to determine who will run our country. Students and teachers here share their experiences with the voting system.

Most students at Wayne Valley greatly understand our voting system and wish to vote because the majority see voting as integral to a democracy. “What makes voting important in democracy is the fact that it allows us to directly decide the future of the country we live in,” Junior Jack Gilchrist detailed. “It gives us the ability and the opportunity to influence our country based on [our] beliefs and who [we] think is best equipped for the position.”

Most other students interviewed agree with this position: an anonymous poll on whether or not students will vote in the future concluded that 95% of students will vote or are likely to do so in future elections.

Teachers also weighed in on their views about voting. AP United States Government teacher Mr. Vitozzi declared voting is “the bedrock of everything we do… It is the way we are heard, we make changes, we just kind of overall, move forward.” 

AP United States History II teacher Mrs. Perricone highlighted the significance of voting to our history. She explained, “Women literally stood outside the White House in the heat, rain, and ice to make sure I could go to the polls and have my voice heard. The very least we can do is go out and vote.” People have struggled for the right to vote for the entirety of American history, so most people believe it is imperative to vote in this day and age.

Despite great support for voting in our country, some people do not plan for it. Voting-age senior Andres Mejia finds voting important in our country but does not plan on voting in the 2024 election. “I’m not into politics,” he stated. Additionally, one in twenty students who answered the anonymous survey above claimed they would not vote in future elections.

Most students also believe that our voting system could be better. Some students, like Mejia, brought up concerns over votes being miscounted. Multiple students, such as Seniors Heaven Laboissiere (17) and Ryan Fuentes (18), dislike how the popular vote’s winner can lose due to the election to the Electoral College. Laboissiere talked about how the Electoral College discourages voting. Another worry among students is that it is too difficult to make it to the polls. 

“Finding the time to vote is incredibly hard,” 17-year-old Senior Nico Giotis explains before giving a solution, “Having a federal holiday surrounding election day will greatly improve voter turnout.” Other students also dislike the current minimum voting age. 

Non-eligible senior Tori Corwise feels the minimum age requirement should be 16 rather than 18. She believes that our youth often have opinions on society, especially now.

Despite the issues surrounding the voting system, most eligible voters plan to vote and most underage citizens in the school plan to vote in future elections. Vitozzi describes, “I’m going to be there bright and early on election day before I come into school.” The most common reason students and teachers plan to vote is for the future, especially for their future children. Most students also wish to vote because it is how they exercise their rights as American citizens.

Voting is how we determine who runs our democracy. According to the New Jersey Department of State’s Division of Elections’ website, New Jersey citizens can register to vote here as soon as they turn 17 and have lived in their county for at least 30 days before election day so they may vote once they turn 18. To register, go to https://nj.gov/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml#vrf and follow the instructions on the website. Remember that identification from the MVC or a social security number must be readily available for online registration.