High School Drives
In California, the last two weeks in April are designated High School Voter Education Weeks. Between April 25and April 29, LWV-PA volunteers visited John Muir, Rose City, Pasadena, Duarte, and Marshall Fundamental High Schools to help students register to vote.
Pasadena, Duarte, and Marshall High Schools allowed us to work with student volunteers or address students in the classroom. Four of the schools held voter registration drives during the lunch hour. The registration drive at Pasadena High was student-led and coordinated by student League member Amelia Monsour. Thank you, Amelia!
Working in the high schools is one of the most rewarding experiences we can offer our volunteers. Several of us had the opportunity to address approximately 100 students in the classroom and discussed student activism and civic engagement.
From past experience, I know that some students remember when they registered to vote and who helped them. Before the pandemic, I volunteered to staff a table at the Holden Block Party. I had three—count them, three—young adults who were working the event come up to me and say they remembered my visit to their classroom and that I helped them register to vote. On another occasion, I was at an event and noticed I was being stared at. I made eye contact with the individual, who then came over to introduce himself: a teacher’s aide. He told me I had registered him to vote.
Every time I think of these moments, I feel like I’m floating. You must try it sometime! Thank you to our volunteers—Toni Johnson, Susan Houser, Susan Sosin, Jean Buennagel, Joe and Pepi Feinblatt, Debbie Fagen, Julie Parker, Kay Adams, Bonnie Skolnik, Monica Kelly, Bill Tully, and Dorothy Keane.
Special Event Voter Registration
Our ever-dedicated Natural Resources Committee attended an Earth Day celebration at Pasadena’s Memorial Park on April 22and staffed the League’s voter registration table to distribute election resource materials and to check voters’ registration status in anticipation of receiving their vote-by-mail ballots. Thank you to Monica Kelly, Kathy Berlin, and Kathy Kunysz for volunteering!
—Martha Zavala
