It takes six minutes for an active shooter to kill 17 people. Teen organizer and activist Emma Gonzalez reminded us during the March for Our Lives. More than any single event in recent memory, the international rally reminded America of young people’s role in our democracy.
Just a few weeks ago, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee signed voter pre-registration for 16- and 17-year olds into law. The passage of this bill reaffirms young people’s role in our democracy, ensuring youth voices are heard and youth votes are counted.
If the last month following the tragedy of the Parkland shooting has taught us anything, it’s that young people have a voice that deserves to be heard. On this point, let us be clear: We are not props. We do not want honorary seats at the table only to watch as everyone else gets counted. We will not sit idly by as decisions that affect the lives of our generation and generations to come get made by those that have accepted that the present is just the way it is.
Pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds is an important piece of policy to ensuring the long-term health of our democracy. It formalizes a long tradition of youth activism in our country. From John Lewis and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee to Vietnam War protests at college campuses across the country to the anti-gun violence youth organizers of color on whom the #NeverAgain movement stands, we’ve been calling BS on the status quo for decades. Pre-registering us to vote early prepares us—the next generation—to participate in our democracy when we turn 18 and become eligible to vote.
As young people in Washington, our futures are determined by the voting habits of people older than us. The decisions they make will impact our lives. Yet we have no ability to formally influence the outcome. Giving us and our peers the ability to pre-register helps us take a step towards determining our own futures.
We are excited to vote, hoping to fix the problems that our state faces daily. There are thousands of other young people like us across the state. There is a reason #NeverAgain organizers are encouraging their peers to register to vote and kick out elected officials who don’t represent our values. Giving younger voters a chance to pre-register offers critical new perspective in ballot boxes.
Living in a democracy offers opportunities that we, as citizens, are incredibly lucky to have. Voting is a core component of a democracy, but young people face barriers leading up to and when they try to exercise that right. Pre-registration can limit and eliminate many of these barriers. It starts us off in the habit of thinking about politics and learning about elections, giving us a chance to educate ourselves before voting. When civic engagement is encouraged at a young age it leads to drastically increased participation in voting and civics over our lifetimes. Pre-registration kickstarts that process.
Our state’s new law is great for young people. It was written to serve us where we live, work, and play. While a few of our peers are unexcited about voting, all of us are excited about getting our driver’s licenses. Now, when young people go to the Department of Licensing and get their first license, they can pre-register to vote when they turn 18. Most Washington voters already register at the DOL. Young people will now have that same opportunity.
This law creates opportunities for young people to plug in and register at a time when so much is changing in their lives. We’re graduating high school and leaving our homes. Some of us are moving to a completely different city in a completely different part of the county—starting careers or attending college. All of us are considering what comes next life. Between moving and becoming financially independent, our ballots don’t always end up at the top of our mail, to say nothing of where we live.
We want to register to vote as soon as possible. It’s the first step in making a positive electoral difference. Countless other teenagers have the same opinions as we do. It was young people, who mostly couldn’t vote, that organized the March for Our Lives all across the country. Together, we are doing away with the idea that we don’t care. We want to be engaged, and we want to do that as early as possible.
As a state and as a country we have always found greater prosperity when more people were given the chance to vote. Pre-registering voters gives every young voice a chance to be heard. The freedom to vote is a core American value, and it should be celebrated and encouraged by all politicians and citizens alike.
Cole Jaynes-Ostrom is a junior at Garfield High School in Seattle. Jasmyne Sims is a senior at Franklin Pierce Pierce High School in Tacoma.