The Campbell Reporter

Cover Story

Photograph by Diana Diroy

People Power: Alix Turner, who is in teacher Cara Drumm's Archbishop Mitty High School's AP Government class, will study the propositions and measures that will appear on the November election ballot.

Rock the Vote

As teens turn 18, they head for polls

By Alicia Upano

Archbishop Mitty High School teacher Cara Drumm's AP Government class is a paragon of democracy--everyone has an informed opinion, and everyone participates.

"What are some reasons people don't vote?" Drumm asks the class.

Senior and ASB president Kyle Pitzen raises his hand and says, "They're lazy."

A classmate next to him, Laura Silverman, adds, "They're also too lazy to understand the issues."

A student across the classroom chimes in and says, "They feel like their vote doesn't matter."

These are the main reasons why young people don't vote, according to the New Millennium Young Voters Project. Voting participation among 18- to 24-year olds is lower than any other age group, with only 17 percent of the population casting ballots.

Yet in a culture of flip-flops and backpacks, local high school students are bucking the trend. Some of these high school seniors will be at the polls in November, voting for the first time--a rite of passage teachers hope will lead to a lifetime of civic responsibility.

"We're going to have to step up one day, so why not sooner than later?" says Campbell resident Emily Cassie.

Anne Campanella, who lives in West San Jose, turns 18 only three days before the November election. The Mitty senior says two of her friends will also be 18.

"We made a pact. We'd all vote, and get the information and go over it together," Anne says.

To Campbell resident Sarah Budriunas, one vote not only makes a difference, it makes a statement.

"If everyone thought that it didn't matter, our voter turnout would be even lower than it is," Sarah says.

By not voting, the Constitution and citizens' right to elect their leaders and pass laws would be worthless, she says.

Civics lessons

Drumm's class, like Robert Beebe's government classes at Del Mar High School, encourage these students to vote and help to demystify the often overwhelming ballot.

Since she began teaching eight years ago, Drumm has noticed students showing more cynicism toward politics, sometimes perpetuated by such satiric television shows as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Saturday Night Live skits, she says. Teaching government became just as much about building enthusiasm as it is about discussing the Constitution.

Government has always been a passion for Drumm, who grew up talking politics with her family. She entered Santa Clara University intending to become a lawyer, but considered teaching instead. Jay Leno helped her along the path.

Drumm says she would watch "Jay-Walking," the skit on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where the talk show host interviews people on the street, including a lot of questions about government that many people couldn't answer.

"I used to scream at the TV, 'Where was your social studies teacher?' " Drumm says. "I made it my mission to make fewer Jay Leno-stupid people."

To achieve that goal, the class spends time learning about the levels of government and voting behaviors. An entire week is devoted to the propositions. Students analyze the full text of the proposition, along with the proposed laws' pros, cons and fiscal impact to the state. In the past, students have found inconsistencies between the summaries presented on the ballot and the full text.

The class creates an unbiased analysis of the propositions, a document that has become so popular Drumm has an email list of more than 200 recipients that include students, faculty and parents. Even former students write to Drumm after they have graduated, asking to be placed on the list.

Beebe will also go through the propositions with his Del Mar students, along with discussing the gubernatorial race and local elections.

For Beebe, this school year is the last in his 36-year teaching career. After a stint in naval military intelligence in Washington, D.C., the Willow Glen resident returned home to teach.

He began at Branham High School in 1970, just one year before Congress ratified the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. The amendment was prompted by young people, who argued that since they were old enough to die as soldiers in the Vietnam War, they were also old enough to vote.

The amendment infused the students with purpose, he says, and made them believe they could make a difference and have a voice in the country's politics. In the 1980s, that fervor subsided to apathy, he says.

"I'm hoping they're getting it back again," Beebe says, pointing to local and national government concerns that may inspire young people.

"I think people have lost sight of what politics should be doing and what's really best for the average person in America," Beebe says. "That's because our voters haven't really pushed [the politicians], so I think our politicians forgot that."

In 1991, Beebe moved to Del Mar when Branham closed. Del Mar has one of the most ethnically diverse and low-income populations in the Campbell Union High School District. The students and their families often are busy just trying to make ends meet. These families don't discuss government or economics, and often don't have computers at home for independent research, he says. They come to his class as "total neophytes."

These young adults fit into a number of several characteristics that define nonvoters in California, "nonwhite, younger and less affluent," according to California's Exclusive Electorate, a study by Mark Baldassare.

The irony, Beebe says, is that these are the young people with the most at stake. He points to community college cutbacks, large class sizes, rising costs of tuition and the debt incurred for a basic education.

"Education is the only equalizer for a lot of these kids," says Beebe, who works hard to instill a sense of civic responsibility in his students.

He keeps voter registration cards in his room, encouraging his students to have a voice in their government. Beebe emphasizes local issues and voting for city and school board officers whose decisions will affect his students' daily lives.

Several of Beebe's students turn 18 before the election, including Val Serines, Judith Carrillo, Jason Nielson and Steven McIntyre. All of them are planning to vote.

"At first I wanted to get my voice heard," Val says. "This economy in this government stinks, you know? I live here; I might as well participate."

According to Baldassare's study, nonvoters could make a difference in state elections, as their politics vary from the voter majority. Nonvoters favor a more active government, have less faith in elected officials and support ballot measures that would spend more on programs to help the poor.

Beebe's students admit that their voting parents and teachers inspire many of their political views. However, student Laurel Hilt says there's a difference between the generations. Her parents and their friends have concerns that pertain to their adult lives, such as taxes and mortgages.

"We are thinking about schoolwork, MySpace and things of our generation," Laurel says.

Beebe and Drumm hope these civic lessons serve these students well into the future, and participate in voting decisions that shape the country's policies.

"One of the most important things that will determine the future of American democracy is the young people today being knowledgeable and involved, at least to the point of voting intelligently," Beebe says.

Registrar sets key dates for election

The Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters has set key dates for the Nov. 7 election.

Absentee voting ballots can be cast starting Oct. 10 and continuing through Election Day on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the registrar's office, 1555 Berger Drive, Building 2, San Jose.

Oct. 10 is also the first day to request an absentee ballot.

The last day for new voters to register to vote is Oct. 23. Voters who need to re-register because they have changed a name or address or party affiliations must also do so by Oct. 23.

Voters registering or re-registering are now required by federal law to provide either a California driver's license number, California identification card number or the last four digits of their social security card number on registration forms.

The registrar's office will hold weekend voting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and 5.

Oct. 31 is the last day to request an absentee ballot by mail. If requests aren't received by 5 p.m., absentee ballots can be obtained only in person at the office.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 7. Absentee ballots must be received no later than 8 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the office. Postmarks are not accepted.

For additional information, visit www.sccvote.org or call 408.299.8683.

The Registrar's Office is also seeking volunteer workers for the polls. They will receive a stipend of $85.

For more information on working at the polls, call 408.299.7655.