Over the past 3 and a half years, and certainly, over the past 4 or 5 months, many have asked themselves, “how does one make a difference.” Sure, protesting, signing a petition, and reposting some informative Instagram thread on your story helps, but what makes a greater impact?

This past summer we have seen what youth civic engagement looks like, whether that be by participating in a Black Lives Matter protest or phone banking for your local candidate. But what is the purpose of doing these things? 

The answer is we want some type of change. That change can range from having amendments made to preset systemic causes of racism, police reform, and/or gun violence prevention laws. 

However, the power lies in all of its people in a Democracy, but that is because we get to choose who gets elected, not because we the people get to choose what laws pass or not pass. 

As Americans, our power to vote allows us to indirectly participate in the passing of a law. If you truly want to make a difference, register to vote for this November election.

How can you register to vote? The North Penn Democrats and Republicans club have both been working in conjunction with each other to host an online voter registration drive in an effort to register as many North Penn students as possible.

The drive will run in 2 phases. The week of September 29th – October 2nd and the week of October 12th – 16th. During those weeks, your history teacher will post a voter registration toolkit through Canvas with the following information: 

1. The link to register.
2. A video guiding you on how to register online.
3. Information on Mail-In Ballots (if interested, not mandatory– information also includes where to drop off your ballot).
4. Information about where you can vote in person specifically.

Things you need to know before registering online:

1. You need to be 18 on November 3rd! If you are 18 already you are good to go. If you are currently 17 but hypothetically turn 18 on October 29th, you would still be able to register to vote because you would be 18 on the day of the election. 
2. You need your PennDot License #  OR your last 4-digits of your social security number.
3. The last day to register to vote is October 19th (Let me reiterate, if your birthday is on October 29th, you can still register to vote).

If you are already registered to vote, simply let your teacher know and they’ll add you to the class tally. If you are not registered, go through the steps of filling out the application online and then let your teacher know you have filled out the registration, so we can confirm a tally.