New Illinois legislation allows for registered 17-year-olds to cast ballots in primary election

By Editor-in-Chief Allie Pecorin

Naperville North High School will host several representatives from the League of Women Voters to help students register for March’s upcoming primary election, according to Jane Barnes, current member and former president of the organization’s local chapter. This will take place on Feb. 13 at the Student Government-sponsored blood drive.

The push for student registration follows recent legislation passed in the state of Illinois that opens the polls to a new group of student voters.  According to Barnes, registered 17-year-old students can vote in the upcoming Mar. 18 primary election provided that they will be 18 by the Nov. 4 general election.

Barnes believes that students should be utilizing their new right to the polls by registering.

“It’s important to feel that you have a voice, and it’s important to make your voice be affective,” Barnes said.  “It’s step to maturity and it’s a step to feeling that you count, but you have to take that step to make your voice heard.”

According to Humanities Department Head Jenne Dehmlow, Principal Kevin Pobst reached out to her and several other teachers and faculty members at NNHS to see about organizing registration for students.  Dehmlow then contacted members of the League of Women Voters.

“We’ve had [The League of Women Voters] out here in the past to help kids register to vote,” Dehmlow said of her decision to contact the organization. “Sometimes it’s really good, but sometimes we don’t get a big turnout.”

Pobst also contacted the NNHS Student Government for assistance with voter registration.

According to blood drive committee chair and Student Government President Luke Landiak, the student organization was enthusiastic about helping students to register.

“We were all pretty excited,” Landiak said. “We’re excited we can turn around administrative desires into things the student’s need and want.”

Landiak said he believes that combining registration with the blood drive will lead to a better turn out for both causes.

“The blood drive is the primary audience. Seventeen to 18 year olds are our primary audience so we decided it’d be good to donate blood and hang out and get registered all at the same time,” Landiak said.

Students who wish to and will be eligible to register will be able to do so during the blood drive periods on Feb. 13.  Those registering will need to bring two forms of identification, one with a current address.  Barnes recommended a drivers license and a student ID.  Those who do not have a drivers license can register by giving the last four digits of their social security number and bringing a current piece of mail with their address on it.