Pali High Turns Out for Voter Registration Day

By CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA | Reporter

Students at Palisades Charter High School held a four-day voter registration drive starting Tuesday, September 24, as the latest show of political involvement among the Palisadian youth.

Organized by Pali High Ambassador Kayla Hayempour, close to 50 students took advantage of National Voter Registration Day and pre-registered to vote.

Hayempour expected a decent turnout, keeping in mind how politically involved most students at Pali High already are. In the past, students have organized walkouts to demand gun control legislation and most recently, participated in a global climate strike.

“I think being registered to vote and having that awareness of ‘this is my duty as a citizen’ is something that I’ve always really connected with,” Hayempour said in an interview with the Palisadian-Post. “It’s really important as teens because we are now having the power to elect leaders that will reflect [who we are] and what we want to see.”

According to Hayempour, many students who registered were thrilled at having the opportunity to do something they had long been wanting to do but haven’t had the chance, while others had been under the impression that they had to wait until they were 18.

It also served as an opportunity to have political conversations with fellow students and gauge what issues mattered the most to Pali High students, Hayempour said.

The non-partisan registration drive was an event organized by the Girls Learn International Pali Chapter, where Hayempour is club president.

The group is part of an organization that “pushes to educate students of all backgrounds and ages on issues that are going around in the world” with a focus specifically on girls’ education in third world and developing countries.

“Whether or not you realize it, there are so many issues going on in the world around you,” said Hayempour when asked what message she had for students who have not yet registered or pre-registered. “Using your vote is one of the most powerful things that you can do. Use it to create your future.”