by Samantha Fredberg
At lunch on Thursday, Feb. 4 seniors approached a table to mark their first registration to vote.
The League of Women Voters Newton stationed themselves outside of the cafeteria in order to register eligible students to vote. Later, the league submitted the registrations to the Newton Election Office according to LWVN board of directors member Sharyn Roberts.
According to senior Annika Vahalia, who is not eligible to vote in the March 1 primary, many students were registered at the LWVN table on Thursday and are voting in the primaries.
This election cycle may be different for voting students than it has been for them in previous years where they have not been voting. “I’ve been paying attention to the views of the politicians a lot more, talking to other people about why they think certain ways, trying to take a more objective view on certain things, and thinking strategically and globally of the pros and cons of each candidate,” said Vahalia.
Many students say that voter registration is their first major adult responsibility because it is their first decision that affects something greater than themselves. “I do feel a little bit more grown up because of it,” said Vahalia.
Secretary of the commonwealth of Massachusetts William Francis Galvin’s website leads students through the process of figuring out factors of voting such as where to vote and how to register. Signs directing students to wheredoivotema.com encourage students they “have a voice” in voting, and further encourage students to register.