Kira Butler

Student registers to vote. A student visits Vote.org and learns how to register to vote.

For many Americans, the Nov. 5, 2024 election is crucial. Contradicting policies determine American livelihood for the next four years, and those who are first-time voters may affect the outcome.

Seniors at Lake Stevens High School are ready to exercise their right to vote for the first time on election day.

Our student survey found that 82% of voting-eligible seniors at LSHS are indeed registered to vote, with top concerns among many being gun laws, the economy, and more.

“Probably reproductive rights, healthcare and gun laws,” senior Amelia Stahlke said. “Emphasis on gun laws because it’s scary that people can be at schools and not feel safe from guns.”

75% of surveyed students are taking gun laws into consideration at the polls this year. School shootings are a large fear in American public schools.

BBC News data shows that there were more than 650 mass shootings every year for the past four years in the United States, an average of two per day.

“If there is an issue you care about, which all the issues on the ballots for the majority of people you should care about, education, you should care about. Gun rights, gun safety laws, you should care about,” senior Isaac Finley said.

Faculty staff at LSHS, however, will be particularly paying attention to measures in local elections, such as the proposed 314 million dollar bond for Lake Stevens School District.

“Things that I’ll be looking at, I’ll be really curious to see the most localized issue if Lake Stevens School District is able to pass its bond,” Civics teacher Josh Fountain said.

If the bond passes, it would allow Lake Stevens School District to “expand and modernize aging schools, and upgrade safety and security districtwide,” Lake Stevens School District published.

Trends typically show that first-time voters aren’t as informed about local elections as they are in the presidential election.

“I would say I’m pretty informed with the presidency but not of our local government,” Stahlke said. If many students are leaving Lake Stevens for college, they might not feel affected by any local issues.

“There’s like, the election for Lake Stevens, but no one really talks about that,” senior Samantha Davison said.

However, LSHS AP Government teacher Darrick Hayman emphasizes that these local elections directly impact residents in significant ways.

“The decisions that are being made at the federal, state, and local level impact everybody, has an impact on the taxes that you pay when you’re at the pump, when you’re buying stuff at Target because sales tax has an impact,” Hayman said. It’s going to be impacted eventually by people who are elected.”

Another worry among first-time voters is being biased and uninformed.

“[I am anxious about] getting to know, like, all of the sides, understanding everything and not having a biased perspective of everything given to me,” Davison said.

Many members of Gen-Z absorb information from social media, such as TikTok and Instagram. Algorithms could lead to being misinformed, only seeing information supporting one side, as opposed to true data and policies.

“People care more about the actual, uhm, like, the whole frivolity of who’s cooler and stuff. They’re not as like informed about the actual, like, reasons why, policies and stuff, and things you should be voting for because of something, not just because they’re your party or something like that,” Stahlke said.

Senior Tyler Thomas, a first-time voter, shared their voting advice with their peers.

“If there’s a candidate you don’t like, but you don’t really care for the other one, but there is a candidate you absolutely do not want in any seat of power, vote against them,” Thomas said.

And it’s not only students offering advice either.

“It’s okay to be a little bit confused at first, just stay curious. You know, keep actively searching for information, and the storyline and the narrative is gonna make more and more sense as you go on.” said US History teacher Josh Fountain.