In August, Lori Thurman, a college preparatory government teacher at Owensboro High School applied for and received a Teaching Tolerance Foundation grant to host a voter education and registration drive.
The class project, titled Visionary Optimistic Teens Engaging Owensboro or V.O.T.E. Owensboro, started with students looking at the 2016 Daviess County voter data from the general election.
“We decided to target three precincts within our school district with low voter turnout: Lee Manor, Cigar Factory Mall and the Sportscenter,” Thurman said. “We obtained precinct maps from the County Clerk’s office and began mapping our canvas routes.”
The grant allowed Thurman to purchase 10 iPads, three mobile hotspots, student designed t-shirts, and donuts and pizza for the Saturday, Oct. 6 canvassing project. The class chose this date because it was the last Saturday prior to the Oct. 9 voter registration deadline.
The students created precinct-specific brochures and preloaded the iPads with links to the Secretary of State websites for voter registration lookup and voter registration.
“As part of the education component, we have copies of the ballot for Daviess County to hand out as well,” Thurman said.
Earlier in the week, project members registered 50 students and staff at OHS during the lunch periods.
As students prepared to walk the targeted neighborhoods, Thurman reminded them of their purpose — to get people to vote Nov. 6.
Thurman included a small notebook in the student literature and said the group that registered the most voters would win a prize.
Students canvassed neighborhoods for over two hours, finding only slight discouragement when residents did not want to discuss the voting process.
Seniors Diamond Shemwell and Tristan Darling walked the neighborhood by Lee Manor Apartments. Several residents were curious when students appeared at their door but most politely declined conversation when the students asked if they were registered or tried to see if the resident knew the precinct location for voting on Nov. 6.
Shemwell said that older voters who came to the door were encouraged and that it was “really good of us” to be out, but she thought others felt intimidated.
“Even though we didn’t get to register many new voters, by talking to the people who are already registered and handing out ballots, we hopefully encouraged people to make sure they get to the polls on Nov. 6,” Shemwell said.
During the neighborhood canvas, only seven new voters were registered, but over 150 sample ballots and brochures were handed out.
“One person wanted to vote, and he looked disappointed,” Darling said. “He said he couldn’t because he was a convicted felon. It just seems like if a person pays their time, they should be able to vote.”
When students returned to OHS, Thurman listened to the students’ comments from the morning project, most still finding Saturday’s process encouraging.
“Younger people have more of a chance to change the world,” said Caley Polston, one of the V.O.T.E Owensboro participants.
Thurman asked the students if Saturday provided inspiration for them to vote; Armani Young responded that it was her chance to change the world.
“I hope it inspires the kids not to be apathetic,” said Thurman.
