Once again, Election Day descends upon the nation. This year, there are races in New Jersey at most levels of government, but to the average Morris Hills student, voting in races may seem like a distant reality. As a result, those students may forget to exercise their right to vote!

To encourage all eligible Morris Hills students to vote, the school’s Social Studies Honor Society, as a local chapter of the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society, has done a variety of things to get the attention of voting-eligible students. As described by Mr. Nugent, the adviser of the Honor Society, after the registration deadline for the November election, an email blast was sent out to any registered student. Within that blast contained links to vote.org, a website that can give the location of a person’s polling place, and to ballotpedia.org, which can provide ballot information for students. 

In addition to that email blast, the Honor Society has put up a bulletin board outside of room 108 that tries to make the voting process easier for students with information about knowing where to vote and what is on the ballot. QR codes are also on the board to make it simple for students to check if they are registered to vote. Mr. Nugent hopes the board will allow students to be as informed as possible.

Mrs. Beck, the District supervisor of social studies and a key contributor in the Morris Hills voting registration effort, sees the encouragement of voting as something that “aligns with the organization’s goals.” Therefore, the Honor Society has plans to continue encouraging student engagement in the political process even after this November election. Potentially, a newsletter will be sent out to students that will keep students updated on the latest local, statewide, and national issues.

Overall, Mr. Nugent sees the value in getting kids “not only started to get registered but more so to be interested in what’s going on and participate and be active citizens of their community.” In his own experience, he has voted in every election he was eligible for, starting with the 2006 primary elections. In Mrs. Beck’s own experience, she regrets not voting through an absentee ballot in the 2000 election.

Eligible Morris Hills students have many opportunities to express their right to vote. This year, the balance of power at the federal level can be decided by each individual congressional race, including the ones in Morris County. Local elections can also determine budgets for schools and more. Regardless of personal opinions, voting is important, so go out and vote!