In a tumultuous world filled with political instability, civic unrest and a lack of political efficacy, remembering the cruciality of democracy stands as a trying task for several people around the world. Additionally, when one adds in the personal stressors that life always seems to provide at the worst times, putting your best political foot forward may stand as difficult in the modern day. Take me, for example: between the omnipresent way marching band clouds my schedule, to the Advanced Placement (AP) classes that laud over my free time, it can become glaringly difficult to remind myself why I should even pay any mind to the looming Presidential election November 5. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe that politics can be as equally liberating for a girl of my age as driving a car with the top down or watching the climax of “Love Island (USA)” can be. Young people everywhere have mobilized in droves to advance the agendas of political parties across the aisle in 2024 while also prioritizing their calculus homework and leading in extracurriculars. The act of getting out of one’s comfort zone for the pursuit of what they deem as a bright future is possible, but can oftentimes feel fruitless in regards to the one thing denied from teenagers before they reach a certain age: the right to vote. 

Ah yes, voting. We all dream of it, don’t we? Wake up at the crack of dawn, bustling from underneath our covers that always seem to be especially warm when we do not want to get out of bed. Throwing on possibly the worst outfit we could have wrestled out of our closets because come on, what are the odds I’ll see anyone I know? Choosing to skip breakfast because you think this act of democracy will only take a minute (SPOILER ALERT! It does not). And while maybe you do not look your best, or feel as confident, or are running on an insufficient amount of sleep, at least the whole day was made possible by the adorable sticker you receive upon exiting the voting location. All in an (early) day’s work, right?

Well, I’m assuming. You see, because my birthday falls three months and 19 days shy of the deadline for voter registration in Georgia, the only way I will be able to see a ballot box is if I tag along with my mom. Although I adore my winter birthday, in the weeks leading up to this election, I find myself wishing that I too could walk into my local church or post office and see firsthand how Americans will shape the next four years of my life. Above all else, I would love to be able to wait in line with other eligible voters, buzzing with the excitement of the task we were about to complete. You could stand behind someone who has never voted before, or in front of someone who can go about the procedure in their sleep— the possibilities are endless. I used to believe that my age prohibited me from exploring these beliefs and that I would just have to wait my turn to be in that proverbial waiting line. But you know what I realized?

I am not alone. 

Out of the 613 seniors at NC, only a small portion of those stand as eligible to vote in the 2024 election, leaving the rest of us closed off to the sacred experience of direct democratic engagement. However, for every gaggle of students who may wonder why the NC community may choose to vote, there lies a teacher, older peer or parent who enthusiastically may share their motivations. That is why I created “Why NC Votes”: to share the stories of NC’s voters in hopes of inspiring an incoming generation to act.

Over the next eight weeks, I will be interviewing a series of NC faculty, staff, students and family members to uncover why they are voting in the 2024 Presidential race. My hope for this endeavor is that our snapshot of civic engagement in Kennesaw, Georgia may inspire other schools in our county, state and country to examine the importance of not just owning the right to vote but to exercise it. 

I similarly hope that this series inspires students to inquire things about our government, how it works and how every individual can directly change it for the better through action. Selfishly, I wish that in a few years when I’m long graduated from NC, this series is still helping freshmen understand their Honors Government classes. Whether people read one iteration of this series or all of them, I hope that discovering why NC votes will incline the NC community to rise up and do the same.

Ciara Whimbush