Voter Registration Drive at Clarke Central Informs and Energizes Students in Athens, Ga.

While youth and minorities are typically associated with low voter turnout, the UGA chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically African American sorority, set up voter registration tables in the crowded food court of the Clarke Central High School.

“Both times they contacted me, but I didn’t hesitate to tell them yes, come in,” said Reginald Thomas, an Assistant Principal at Clarke Central. The sorority held two drives in back to back weeks in late September.

“If they were 18, I think they registered,” said Thomas, who believes the events were successful. Although many students weren’t eligible to vote at the time of the drives, Thomas believes it was still helpful in getting students to talk about the issues and voting in general.

“You always hope that they see the importance of voting and what people did in the past to make it so that American citizens could vote,” Thomas said. Thomas taught history for nine years before becoming a principal six years ago.

Thomas’s father taught history for thirty years. Once he married, Thomas went back to school to become a teacher as well.

“Voting and having the opportunity to have your voice heard is something I’m passionate about,” said Thomas.

However, the registration drives aren’t the only way the school fosters civic engagement.

“We have a student government, and we have a club here, we have Young Democrats and Young Republicans,” said Thomas. “Obviously, when you have clubs and organizations like that the focus is going to be on voting and your ideology.”

Although Thomas was adamant in his belief that everyone should get out and vote, he does have some concerns about how informed young voters actually are.

Looking back, Thomas realizes that when he was young he didn’t have a good grasp on the issues and voted mostly because it was instilled in him by his parents.

“You want everybody to exercise their right to vote, but there’s a second part of that," he said. "They need to be informed about what they’re voting about, because you don’t want people just voting and they’re not aware of the issues because then they’re just throwing a name on the ballot."

“In some classes, mostly my journalism class, we talk about both sides of the election and have differing opinions, so we get all the facts,” said James Lumpkin a junior. He's a variety writer for the school’s news magazine. Lumpkin believes that his education has kept him very informed about the issues.

Although class curriculum and voter registration drives can help foster civic engagement, some former students believe that the racial and socioeconomic makeup of Clarke Central fostered their interest in voting and politics.

Rachel Grossman, a UGA junior who graduated from Clarke Central in 2010, believes the poverty she saw at Clarke Central directly influenced her decision to vote for the Democratic Party.

“I went to a very diverse high school and was involved with people with tons of different perspectives. So I was able to better see things from both sides,” said Adam Erickson about how his education fueled his interest in the political process. He's a third-year punter for the UGA football team who graduated from Clarke Central in 2010.