Could Stockton benefit from having young people vote for their school Board?
In Newark, N.J., students as young as 16 will now have the right to vote in their school board elections. This is a great accomplishment for these students since they can now decide their future by voting for their school board, but would it be a good idea to do this in Stockton?
Students who are 16 and older should have the right to vote for their school representatives and who manages their school, which would allow them to have a say in who runs their school. Students should have this right because school board members affect their future. It would also give a greater voice to minorities. In Newark 90% of the population is black or brown; the change to the law there will give those populations a voice and the right to be represented.
Stockton is characterized by its diversity, including a large Latino community; having this opportunity to vote at a young age would have splendid results since SUSD students could use their votes to ensure their voices are heard by the leaders of the school district. At the end of the day, students’ ideas and voices should be represented, because it is their futures that are affected by the decisions the school board makes. This will also bring to the attention of those who want to be representatives to hear the students’ voices, ideas, and wishes to improve the community.
Having young people vote will bring our community together to make it better; representation is essential, and more important is hearing the students’ voices so they can decide their future and not have it decided for them. The students at 16 are mature enough to make this decision since, as Anjali Krishnamurti, co-founder of the grassroots organization VOTE16NJ, said students at 16 are granted other rights like driving where maturity is needed, so having the right to vote would be like one of those rights.
Allowing students to vote for school board members is crucial since it would allow them to be heard, have representation, and, most importantly, help make decisions that directly affect their futures.