Viewpoints Editor Janie Ripps talks with fellow students about Georgia’s upcoming gubernatorial election that will take place on Nov. 8. Through her experience as a student journalist and peer, Ripps has noticed the lack of education on the election at Clarke Central High School. “The youth is the future, but when the youth doesn’t even know who is running to be their governor, how can we trust that they will even vote when they turn 18?” Ripps wrote. Illustration by Antonio Starks
Knowledge is power
Viewpoints Editor Janie Ripps talks about her observations on the lack of education on the Georgia gubernatorial election at CCHS.
“Do you know anything about the governor’s election coming up?” I ask a student, prepared to follow up and ask about their predictions.
“Who’s the governor?” they respond with a confused expression, completely uneducated on the topic.
Through my position as Viewpoints Editor for the ODYSSEY Media Group, I have worked to gather the opinions of students at Clarke Central High School. However, when I was tasked with asking students how they felt about the gubernatorial election in Georgia, taking place on Nov. 8, almost every student I talked to looked at me confused.
“I don’t know anything about that,” they told me.
I was shocked to find that my peers knew almost nothing about the high stakes of the race as well as the impact of the incumbent.
During his time as governor, incumbent Brian Kemp signed into effect major legislation including the Heartbeat Bill, which banned an abortion once a heartbeat was detected, as well as Senate Bill 202, which passed restrictions on voters rights in Georgia.
Kemp will run against Stacey Abrams, making this the rematch of the 2018 gubernatorial election. With extremely different visions for the future of Georgia, this will decide the future of reproductive, LGBTQ+ and voter’s rights in Georgia, making it arguably one of the most important elections for the state.
I was shocked to find that my peers knew almost nothing about the high stakes of the race as well as the impact of the incumbent.
A video shows the debate between gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams and incumbent Brian Kemp. Viewpoints Editor Janie Ripps noticed a lack of awareness about the upcoming governor’s election within the Clarke Central High School student body. “The youth is the future, but when the youth doesn’t even know who their governor is, how can we trust that they will even vote when they turn 18?” Ripps wrote. Video fair use of 11 Alive
The more I thought about it, though, the more I began to notice that there is very little talk about the election at CCHS. Most students are not of voting age yet, and so awareness is not the main goal in classes.
Regardless, I don’t think that should stand in the way. The youth is the future, but when the youth doesn’t even know who their governor is, how can we trust that they will even vote when they turn 18?
The more students learn about elections now, the more educated they will be when they turn 18. History classes such as AP United States Government and Politics should make more of an effort to talk about current political events not just in the U.S. but in Georgia, as well.
Students at CCHS and around Georgia need to be educated about upcoming elections and their importance because, even if they don’t know it, it impacts them just as much as it impacts eligible voters.
A voter takes an axe to the 2022 midterm elections. Viewpoints Staffer Mykolas Kumpis poked fun at midterms to bring awareness to how vital they are to maintaining democracy in the United States. “What does a representative or senator even do? It’s not like the legislation they pass will affect people that much anyway,” Kumpis wrote. Illustration by Eleanor Robinson
Unnecessary electoral drama
Election season means Georgia is buzzing. However, voting for no-name senators and representatives won’t end up affecting the people of the state that much anyway.
Midterm elections are coming up on Nov. 8, 2022.
Soon, the voters of the great state of Georgia will be absolutely packing polling stations to elect senators and representatives.
Forget Christmas or birthdays, midterm elections are what everyone’s been anticipating for a whole two years.
Just kidding.
Outside of history classes, irrelevant podcasts and whatever boring news parents watch, no one hears about them. They aren’t that important.
Outside of history classes, irrelevant podcasts and whatever boring news parents watch, no one hears about them. They aren’t that important.
For starters, they’re boring. There’s only so much attention one can give congresspeople, with their constant and incessant droning on about taxes, reforms, bills and laws.
A graph shows the percentage of citizens over 18 years old who voted in recent midterm elections compared to recent Presidential election turnouts. The voter turnout in midterm elections has historically been lower than in Presidential elections. “There’s only so much attention one can give congresspeople, with their constant and incessant droning on about taxes, reforms, bills and laws,” Viewpoints Staffer Mykolas Kumpis wrote. Graph by Maya Shrivastav
Presidential elections, however, are cool. Voting between one unqualified bozo and another belligerent idiot, either of whom will end up leading the free world, is awesome. Who doesn’t love a good competition, especially when the stakes are that high?
Midterms are just a lot of nonsense for no reason. A lot of effort to elect people that everyone will forget about within a month.
But then there’s midterms. What does a representative or senator even do? It’s not like the legislation they pass will affect people that much anyway.
While presidents walk around with the nuclear codes, congresspeople spend time behind desks in big boring buildings writing and arguing big boring bills.
Choosing these other no-names? It really seems like a waste of the nation’s time.
Midterm candidates also say absolute nonsense. For example, “I spent time at Quantico at the FBI training school. Y’all didn’t know I was an agent?” Republican Senatorial candidate and notably non-FBI agent Herschel Walker said.
Midterms are just a lot of nonsense for no reason. A lot of effort to elect people that everyone will forget about within a month. I can hardly remember everyone in my AP Government class of 25, so just think about how quickly names get lost in a Congress of 535.
Let’s just skip them this year. Let’s put all this “get out and vote” stuff to the side and kick it at home on Nov. 8. It’s what the Founding Fathers would have wanted.
