 | | | Miramonte High School seniors gather around a table at the Contra Costa County Election Department's pop up office on the school's front lawn during the lunch hour on Sept. 25 as part of a voter pre-registration effort. Photo David Scholz | | | | | | Senior Max Harold will come in just under the wire ahead of the Nov. 5 General Election with a late Oct. 18 birthday, and he is stoked to have the opportunity to vote in what is building up to be a historic day in American politics.
His youthful exuberance captured the interest level that took hold of Miramonte High School's upper class on Sept. 25, as members of the senior class gathered around a Contra Costa County Elections Division Pop-up Office table set up on the front lawn of the campus.
That stop, one of about 26 high schools visited around the county in September as part of California High School Voter Education Weeks, and slated to continue through mid October due to such a large demand, is part of an effort to pre-register as many juniors and seniors who are approaching voting age, according to Dawn Kruger, the division's Community and Media Relations Coordinator.
Kruger noted the division's Voter Services Manager reported a higher than normal number of pre-registrations in September. In September, election staff pre-registered 485 students overall, including about 20-30 students at Miramonte.
"I am very happy - 100 percent," said Harold, one of the Senior Matadors who were carefully filling out the one-page form with their driver's licenses in hand, about voting.
So giddy about knowing he was so close to actually getting the chance to vote, the senior repeatedly asked if he was marking a proper bubble on the form.
"I would be really sad," Harold said of not being able to vote because he filled the form out incorrectly.
His anticipation for the big day mirrored that of his other classmates who already have turned 18. "Excited," in a word, was repeatedly expressed to describe how they were feeling about the opportunity awaiting them.
Senior Katrina White, 18, noted how the election is being talked about in her various classes.
And, when she goes to the poll on the first Tuesday in November to make choices in the races and issues appearing on the ballot, White also said the importance of voting is another reminder of their growing "independence."
Along with pre-registering students and helping check those who may have already completed the process, the pop up office also promoted volunteer opportunities for students who are at least 16 years old to serve as poll workers. Along with having a GPA of at least 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, students must obtain permission from a parent or guardian and from the principal or vice principal of their school, as well as complete the required training. Students can apply online by visiting www.contracostavote.gov/elections /poll-worker-center/
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA