Since the school board’s decisions most directly and profoundly shape students’ daily lives, it is highly suitable to give students a voice in their governance, as this is a right given to citizens in a democracy. I believe there is a resolute argument to be made for students being allowed to vote in school board elections.
The Board of Education (BoE) determines curriculum, graduation requirements, disciplinary policies, budgeting priorities, and extracurricular offerings, all of which heavily impact student experience and the support they receive. I can personally speak to the common perception among my peers: decisions are made at higher levels, while we, the high school students, are left with no way to question them and must navigate how they manifest in our daily realities. This could look as drastic as effects on our access to mental health and advisor resources, to class and schedule options, and opportunities for sports and enrichment. If the board exists to represent the interests of students, then those students should have the opportunity to participate in choosing its members.
When the United Kingdom extended the vote to working-class men in the nineteenth century, critics warned that such “lowly” people could never “properly understand” politics. However, within the generation, the same voters became the backbone of major democratic reforms. In the United States, the struggle for women’s suffrage was received with similar opposition. Women were believed to be too overwhelmed by domestic responsibilities to make rational voting choices that weren’t shrouded by their husbands. Yet once enfranchised, women surpassed their male counterparts to become the most consistent voters in the country. Today’s students can be easily compared to working-class men and women before they earned the right to vote: voiceless. They are expected to master college-level courses, develop extensive extracurricular resumes, and make life-altering decisions through it all. If earlier generations, who faced their own discrimination for their alleged incompetence, proved fully capable once given the vote, it is difficult to take seriously the claim that modern students, who manage equal responsibilities and knowledge to most adults in earlier examples, are somehow unprepared to choose fit leaders. Voting rights reinforce the principle that those who are governed should have a meaningful say in their future.
A well-functioning democracy depends on citizens who understand and value participation. Yet we expect eighteen-year-olds to suddenly have this understanding and become civically engaged without meaningful practice beforehand. In the twenty-first century, an increasing number of countries, even states, are lowering the voting age. The common legal voting age of eighteen is arbitrarily set and hardly scientifically based. Research consistently shows that adolescents around sixteen and older have the cognitive ability to make informed decisions when given adequate information, especially when it holds relevance to their lives. Most importantly, if students are directly affected by school board policies, their voices matter regardless of whether their choices mirror those of adults.
The current remedy for student voice is the election of four student representatives from IHS to serve the board from the entire body of 1400 students. This representation is not sufficient. It is a common observation that student representatives’ input is overlooked or taken less seriously than that of adults in board meetings. There is little done to reach the opinions of the broader student body; it becomes a rare student who feels their own perspective is received. Granting students voting power would ensure that the board genuinely considers student needs; officials are inherently more responsive to those who hold electoral influence.
Further, student voting would encourage civic learning in more ways than one. In a democracy, the right to vote plays out in more than just election days: candidate debates and forums are viewed by millions, and empowered voters help drive campaigns. This played out in an educational setting at just a school-wide level would offer immense enrichment: the epitome of applied learning.
Good ethics and civic commitment are what will permit the perseverance of our democracy through current trials and tribulations. These qualities are cultivated from a young age and must be ingrained now more than ever. To avoid future abuses of our political system, we must allow young people to see democratic processes in action first-hand.
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