Philadelphia city leaders help students register to vote in 2024 election at school assembly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- High schoolers at a Philadelphia charter school spent Tuesday morning in a special assembly to learn the importance of voting, and at the end, students had a chance to register to cast their ballots in the 2024 election. It was the second stop on Philadelphia Chairman Commissioner Omar Sabir's "Philly Rises Youth Civic Engagement School Tour and Press Conference."
Sabir, joined by other city leaders, including freshman Councilmember Nic O'Rourke, spoke to a full lunchroom at Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School of Philadelphia. Leaders shared with students about the power of voting for elected officials, from city councilmembers to presidential candidates. They displayed a PowerPoint presentation about the history of the right to vote and discussed several issues their vote could help shape, from minimum wage to public safety.
"I'm sure folks have told you again and again – like we're doing today – how important voting is," O'Rourke said. "It's true. How we vote actually does matter."
It's a message that resonated with Samii Cunningham, a senior at MCSCS who turned 18 in January. Tuesday, after hearing from speakers, she registered to vote.
"People keep saying that, as we turn 18, to go out and vote. Because we might not see why it's important," she said. "But if people keep telling us that it's important, then clearly, I just got to do my own research and see why everybody wants us to vote."
Another senior, Michael Leslie, said his big takeaway was how his vote could help him have a little control over issues that impact him.
"I think it's important to vote because people that don't vote, they're not conscious of their surroundings," he said.
Leslie is especially conscious of one issue that could affect him very soon, giving him reason to vote in the general election.
"College tuition, because I'm about to graduate," he said. " And there's a lot of people that go to college and come out in debt."
Seeing the students dip their toes into democracy Tuesday was a full-circle moment for Khalif Chestnut. Chestnut, who now serves as an IT professional for Sabir's office, is a 2011 graduate of MCSCS. Now, he's excited to play his part in getting young people out to the polls.
"That's always the highlight — getting them at the end to register to vote or become a poll worker," he said. "We're creatures of habit. So if you teach them early on how to vote, they'll start voting when they're of age."
Chestnut said Sabir hopes to visit roughly 10 schools on this educational tour.
