As Election Day creeps closer, the flood of complex issues and the ongoing sniping between political hopefuls are enough to overwhelm any voter. That’s also true for some Maine high school seniors who say they want to make their first-ever vote count.
“I feel like I want a say in what I want to happen. It’s definitely scary because I’ve never done it before,” said Madison Sheppard, a senior at Sanford High School who turns 18 in October.
U.S. Census data from 2020 shows 57,000 registered voters that year between the ages of 18 and 24, about 63% of the total number of Maine residents in that age range at the time.
A spokesperson for the Maine Secretary of State’s office said there are 64,479 registered voters in that age range this year.
Some students, like Elizabeth Speed, a senior at Bangor High School who turns 18 this week and is thinking about a legal career, are already beginning to form opinions about key issues. She said she is concerned about the rights of women and people of color.
“I want to focus on someone who advocates for that, and gives them a voice,” Speed said.
Her classmate, Adam Miller Treat, 18, who volunteers at a local soup kitchen, wants government action to help the homeless. “There’s a lot we could be doing as a state and as a government to work on that,” he said.
Some students say they struggle with the flood of information from multiple sources, not all of which is reliable.
“I try to pay attention but it’s super-overwhelming because there’s so many issues, and trying to keep up is impossible,” Treat said.
Sheppard said she has seen ads on television and online, along with glossy marketing materials in the mail, for years, but now it has a whole new meaning for her.
“I feel like I’ve been seeing it all this time, and now I’m like, ‘Whoa, this is real now, I’ve got to pay attention,’” Sheppard said.
Speed said she tries to avoid the traditional talking-head broadcasts, and even the televised political debates aren’t useful to her.
“I don’t think the debates, the back and forth of the debates are as important as what they really believe in,” Speed said.
Sheppard agreed, saying it’s hard to separate the posturing from reality.
“With all of these arguments, I’m not really sure what’s true and what’s not,” Sheppard said.
Treat said he prefers to read about candidates rather than watch them, but trying to sort out how they really stand, and what he thinks about them, has been a challenge.
“It definitely gives me a bit of anxiety,” he said.
Speed, like her peers, said she is taking the responsibility to make an informed decision seriously.
“For me, it’s something new and something I didn’t have to think about before,” she said. “Now that I’m leading up to it, I want to make sure I’m educated about it.”
MOCK ELECTIONS GO VIRTUAL
In 2020, about 15,000 students from 95 schools participated in the 2020 mock presidential election.
This year, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows will hold a virtual version this year of the department’s mock election, which allows young people to learn how the voting process works by participating in an unofficial version of the election.
“Maine’s elections need to be accessible to all, including our youngest voters,” Bellow said.
Click here for more information about Maine’s upcoming mock election.