How these teens are changing politics across the country before they can even vote

FAIRFAX, Va.—Sixteen-year-old Trisha Rahman spent her free time campaigning for a local school board candidate she cannot yet vote for. 

She’s one of 13 high school students who helped elect 24-year-old Abrar Omeish to an at-large position on the school board in Fairfax County, Virginia. 

These young people — who are not eligible to vote yet — helped run a competitive school board race in Virginia’s largest county to enact change in their community. Heading into 2020, these teens wanted to show that being civically engaged can actually make a difference in impacting their future.

“Even though we can't vote, that doesn't mean that we can't make a difference,” said Rahman at one of the campaign’s weekly meetings.

“We've involved young people probably in a way that's been historic for this county. Our high school team has been a significant part of our staff, doing real work,” said Omeish.

In addition to canvassing door to door and phone banking, the teens on Omeish’s campaign have written extensive policy briefs on climate change and mental health in schools and have even been surrogates for the young candidate at events across the county.

“I’m supporting Abrar for school board because she’s been a big mentor and she really cares about our county,” said Alizè Ashraf while on the phone with a potential voter days before the election.

The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, or CIRCLE, says that engaging teens before they can vote helps strengthen democracy. One of their studies proved that young people were 40 percent more likely to vote when they turn 18 if they were taught about elections and voting in school. In 2018, more than twice as many young people voted in the midterm election as they did in 2014.

“If we can close some of the inequalities in access to information early, that we can have a more representative and diverse democracy in the future,” said CIRCLE’s Impact Director, Abby Kiesa over the phone.

Linda Wu, another one of Omeish’s interns says students nowadays need to be politically involved.  

“A lot of the policies affect [students] and they don't even know it,” Wu said.

Looking ahead to the 2020 elections, several presidential candidates are finding it worthwhile to attract a younger supporter base. Former Alaskan Sen. Mike Gravel’s short-lived presidential campaign was jump-started, in large part, due to three teenagers from New York who wanted to push progressive ideas like direct democracy to a televised Democratic debate.

Andrew Yang, a businessman-turned-presidential-candidate from New York, has also gained a significant young following, self-proclaimed as the “Yang Gang.” His supporters use social media to spread awareness about his campaign ideas, including his most popular “Universal Basic Income,” proposing to give American adults a $1,000 basic monthly income. Although only polling at 2 percent, Yang’s meme-filled campaign is helping him become a quick favorite among young voters.

CIRCLE estimates that there will be 3.9 million Americans who will be 18 years old in 2020. They also estimate that young people under the age of 30 will account for 21 percent of all eligible voters next year. 

Another campaign intern, Sahithi Jammulamadaka, said that, as a 16-year-old, she should decide what her own future looks like, including electing people whom she thinks will improve it. 

“If I can make an impact or put in my thought into as much as possible into what I want my future to look like, I think I should be able to make a change and be a part of that change,” Jammulamadaka said.

With efforts for the 2020 presidential elections ramping up, engaged teens like these are already changing the country’s future, all before they can even vote.