A six-week campaign at KIPP NYC College Prep High School in the South Bronx helped 60 high school seniors become first-time voters, just in time for this year’s all-important presidential election.
In a borough that already lags behind the rest of the city in voter turnout, young people are especially underrepresented. Bronx County ranks last in the state in the voter registration rate among 18-year-olds, according to research by The Civics Center, a nonprofit working to increase young adult voter participation. Just 18.6% of 18-year-old Bronx residents are registered to vote compared to 40% of 18-year-olds across the state, the report said.
Schools like KIPP are devoting time and energy to turning those statistics around. The school began its campaign on Sept. 17, which is National Voter Registration Day, and culminated at the start of the early voting period, said Davon Harris, who coordinated the effort.
On Election Day, the school held a celebration, complete with catered food from Chick-Fil-A, to recognize those who reached what Harris called a “milestone of adulthood.”
He and others worked to register not only students but also their families and other community members who came to school events. In the end, KIPP registered 60 youth and 220 others to vote for the first time.
Harris said he hopes the excitement among this year’s new voters will trickle down to younger students and others throughout the school and community.
“I think this campaign has been like a catalyst of change in their lives,” said Harris.
Shaylee Rochez, who lives in Morrisania, turned 18 less than a month ago and voted on the morning of Election Day with her mom. But it was the daughter — not her mother — who emphasized the importance of voting in this election, Rochez said.
Rochez said her mom “was conflicted on even voting, period” — but she convinced her to do it and shared information she learned from watching clips of Harris and Trump’s campaign rallies.
“I kind of influenced her to vote, so when she came with me today, I was very moved by that,” Rochez said.
She acknowledged that people of color and young people often feel discouraged from voting, but she said she wanted her vote to set an example for others. “Your vote does matter, and it does count.”
Rochez credited KIPP with helping cut through confusion and misinformation to get easy-to-understand, nonpartisan information about how to register, where to vote and how primary and general elections work. And the race for president was a big motivating factor, said Rochez. Though reporters were not allowed to ask students about candidates they voted for, “Being a part of [the presidential race] was very special to me,” Rochez said.
Rochez transferred to KIPP just last year, and without the school-based campaign, she likely would have faced more obstacles in trying to vote, she said.
“I’m very anxious specifically for the results — but overall, the process has been wonderful, and I’m very grateful for that,” said Rochez. Whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump wins the presidency, “I’m just overall thankful for the experience. I did my part,” she said.
Jaden Faulk, who turned 18 in August, said he has long been excited to become old enough to have voting rights. “When you turn 18, you get access to a lot of new stuff,” he said.
Faulk said he cares most about promoting racial unity, cutting inflation and generally securing equal rights for all people, “no matter how they identify themselves or present themselves.”
Faulk registered to vote through KIPP and is heading to the polls later today. Even though he still would have voted without the school’s get-out-the-vote effort, “it was easy” to do it through school, he said.
To young people who doubt the point of voting, Faulk said he would turn the question back on them: “Does your voice matter?” And if the answer is yes, then they should vote too, he said.
“I feel like our voices matter equally,” said Faulk. “Our voices should be heard, and our opinions should be heard.”
Faulk said his mother voted in 2016 but his family is not generally politically active. Now that he has gotten off to a strong start, he vowed to pay more attention to politics and to vote in future elections.
Faulk said voting today will be a relief. “It will definitely take a weight off my chest, because this is something I’ve been looking forward to.”
Like Rochez, Faulk said he will anxiously start tracking results as they come in tonight. But exercising the right to vote is its own reward, he said. “As long as I get my vote in, I feel like I achieved something.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
