Most students at West High School are not old enough to vote in the November election.
But that doesn’t prevent them from learning about the candidates on the ballot, said Ada Lambek, a 17-year-old senior at West High School.
Lambeck and his high school civics club students hosted candidates running for U.S. Senate, including Democratic incumbent Tammy Baldwin and Libertarian Party challenger Phil Anderson, at two town halls on Monday.
“I think we accomplished our goal of helping students understand the different candidates’ positions on issues,” Lambeck said after the event in the West High School auditorium. “That way, when they turn 18 and vote, they can make a more informed decision.”
Republican challenger Eric Hovde did not attend the event. Campaign spokesman Zach Bannon said, “In the end, scheduling did not work out,” and that Hovde “did not confirm his participation.” Hovde sparred with Baldwin on Friday in the first and only scheduled debate.
“The students have been working on this for a year,” said Carrie Bowman, social studies teacher and civic club advisor. “I wish Mr. Hovde, the Republican candidate, would have been here, but he chose to cancel on Friday.”
West High School students Ada Lambek and Clark Schrager moderated the town hall along with Sen. Tammy Baldwin. Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson attended a separate forum with students.
Kayla Hine
Lambeck, along with sophomore Clark Schrager, moderated the discussion in front of a packed house of students. Students pressed candidates on their positions on issues such as inflation, abortion, gun control, climate change and LGBTQ+ rights.
Prior to the event, Civic Club members gave students the opportunity to submit questions for candidates and identify the political issues they care about most.
“We tried to pick questions that we thought were really important in this election cycle, but also really important to students and Western students,” Schrager said. “We wanted this to be an event where students not only learned about politics as a whole, but also how politics affects them.”
Schrager said when preparing for the debate, the civic club students knew little about Anderson, a third-party candidate.
“If we don’t find anything during our research, what will our students find?” he said. “This town hall really provided an avenue for students to get information that they wouldn’t have access to.”
Like other teens who aren’t of voting age, Joanna Smith of West High School won’t be eligible to vote this November. She said she remains interested in hearing from candidates as they are likely to run for office again in the future.
Town Hall allowed students to “see perspectives that aren’t always talked about at home or at school,” Smith said.
“Also, all teenagers know who they can vote for,” she says. “They can persuade someone or just explain what people’s opinions are so they can be educated and understanding when they go to vote.”
Fiona Rataj from West High School said the event showed students the importance of civics education at any age.
“These are the people who will be eligible to vote in other elections in the coming years, so it’s really important to start early,” she says. “It is so important that everyone is well-educated and heard about these issues, even if they are not yet allowed to vote.”
According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Participation, young people are increasingly participating in elections. The center ranked Wisconsin among the top states where young voters are most likely to influence the outcome of the Senate race.
Schrager said he hopes students who are old enough to vote remember City Hall when they vote next month.
“We want them to know which candidates appeal to them, and not just blindly vote for a name that sounds familiar,” he said. “They’re trying to get people to vote. I think people and policy really matter.”
Kayla Huynh is an education reporter for the Cap Times. Kayla writes about schools serving young children and adolescents in the Madison area. Email your story ideas and tips to Kayla at khuynh@captimes.com or call (608) 252-6472.
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