To the Editor:
This past month I worked with local students in the community and my boy scout troop to hold two non-partisan voter registration drives as a part of my Eagle Scout project. We held this drive at the Vienna Farmer’s Market.
In many ways this registration drive was a success. We were able to talk to over 2,000 Vienna voters, and remind them about the Virginia photo identification law that requires all voters to bring a form of government issued identification. We were able to help 80 people apply for absentee ballots and registered 20 people to vote.
I wanted to share the impact that I hope this drive had on our community as well as what I learned.
Something I am very proud of is the fact that the drive was run completely by local youth volunteers. Everyone who registered new voters was a student. In fact a majority of these students could not even vote themselves!
A student run drive was important to me for many reasons. I hope that my fellow classmates and fellow boy scouts who participated in this drive came to the same conclusion as I did: the power of a vote is a right we should hold dear. I hope they saw voting as a civic responsibility that enables Americans to participate in the democracy our forefathers fought for and defended. Participating in that democracy should be a priority when we turn 18.
I also hope this outpour of young people inspired our community.
We met many residents this past month who told us that they were in a dilemma. One older gentleman said that not only did he not want a registration form but he wasn’t planning on voting because he couldn’t bear to make the choice between “a crook and a narcissist”.
I hope this student run force reminded voters like this gentleman and many others in our community who may be facing a similar dilemma that they are not choosing between two candidates - they are choosing a future. A future for me and a future for all of us at the drive who are not able to cast a ballot.
Really that is what all elections are about: choosing the candidate who will build a better America for the next generation to build on.
I understand that this is a very divisive election. It is hard to ignore the fact that the two major candidates have the highest unfavorability ratings in history. But still I urge you: don’t squander your choice by choosing to sit on the sidelines. Find the courage to cast a ballot this year because this election, quite frankly, is bigger than just you.
I won’t be able to vote this year and neither will thousands of other Vienna citizens who are under 18 but we are all counting on you to make that choice on our behalf on Nov. 8.
In 1920 women got the right to vote. In 1965 the Civil Rights Act prohibited racial discrimination in voting. In 1975 the right to vote for young people who were 18 and older was protected by the passage of the 26th amendment. Our history has been shaped and defined by people who have demanded a fair ballot.
Why then would anyone choose to forgo a right that others have worked so hard to defend simply because they don’t have the guts to make a decision?
A lot has changed from that first election in 1789, but what I hope remains is the promise solidified by the words “We” in that first line of the constitution - the idea that a democracy means that all people are heard.
Raman Khanna
Vienna
The writer is 17-year-old rising senior at George C. Marshall High School.