As the senior class approaches graduation, many have already reached 18 years of age, qualifying them for a specific November civic duty:  voting. 

Recent demographic trends have shown that 18 year-olds hold a smaller portion of total votes when it comes to state and community elections, and follow that pattern going into nationwide elections up until they reach the ages of 23-25. However, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement’s “Half of Youth Voted in 2020, An 11-Point Increase from 2016,” the voting engagement for 18 year olds shot up dramatically during the 2020 Presidential election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, jumping from 39% to 50% of young adults participating in the election. 

This year, Nov. 8 was election day for Virginia’s 10th district. The district’s two candidates were Republican candidate Hung Cao and Democrat candidate Jennifer Wexton. Wexton won the election with 52.8% of the popular vote, leading by almost 17,000 votes. Students who turned 18 before the election were able to register and vote in the election, representing the new generation of voters. 

At Rock Ridge, a sizable portion of the senior class who were 18 voted, and felt eager to engage in  the election. “I feel very excited because now that our generation is growing up, I think [that] there’s going to be a lot of change in the world,” senior Nora Beck said. “I think that a lot of people around me, myself included, want to make [that] change.”

Growing up watching older generations vote and having a choice in politics made many students looking forward to the voting experience.  “There [have] been elections where I’ve followed what’s going on, and known my opinion on it, and haven’t been able to have my voice heard, so I’m excited to finally have that happen,” senior Alexandra Krasilovsky said.

Registering and voting in an election can be done in various ways. Students either sent in ballots in the mail or voted in person after registering.  “Registering was surprisingly easy,” senior Reese Roque said. “I voted early, on [Oct. 31], instead of on election day, because I was out of town. I will say early voting is a lot easier.” 

Other students choose to wait until the day of the election. “When I went, I [had to register the same day, so] I had to sit there and they had to actually register me… by the end I got the “I Voted” sticker, so [I felt like] I actually did something,” senior Casie Peng said. 

Voting for 18 year olds is considered one of the gateways into adulthood and learning responsibility, so some seniors view their right to vote as a responsibility. “I think it’s very important to have the right to vote, to show your opinion, even if [you might think] it’s a small vote… I think it [has] a very huge impact,” senior Valentina Lopez said.