Local programs help young voters dive into the realm of government

Eighteen-year-old Rachel Pasko has been surrounded by politics her entire life.

As her family and friends spoke with conviction about administrations and foreign policy over the years, the Hempfield Area School District senior watched tensions rise and fall, and decided that she wasn’t interested in jumping into the conversation.

Then she joined Project 18, a state and local government class that originated in Pennsylvania in response to 18-year-olds being given the right to vote.

“I joined Project 18 to get more of a grasp on my future and to learn more about local politics,” Pasko said. “It’s really important to learn about where you are.”

Related:

• Hempfield approaches 50-year anniversary of civics education class

Increasing numbers of young voters between the ages 18 and 29 years have been showing up to participate in midterm elections. In 2022, about 23% of the national youth voting population cast a ballot in the midterms, according to Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University in Boston.

Thanks to programs such as Project 18, and groups like Young Democrats and Young Republicans, students have been introduced to the realm of municipal government through hands-on projects and interactions with figures in local politics.

“We’re in real trouble nationally because of the general fixation of national government and the misunderstanding of local,” said Ken Stough, Hempfield social studies teacher and Project 18 sponsor. “Though functions of municipal government are not that exciting, I think the students can see ahead to how this will be essential.”

Regardless of his students’ career paths, lessons taught in the Project 18 program will help them to know what to expect from their local government as future homeowners, parents and community members, Stough said.

Hempfield High School has offered the Project 18 program to seniors since the 1970s and is the last to continue offering the class.

According to Stough, the class teaches students about government from the ground up. He invites multiple speakers to present to the class each year and requires students to volunteer for at least five hours each semester in a campaign or political arena.

Pasko has tallied about 500 service hours by working with fifth grade classes in Hempfield elementary schools, she said.

“I didn’t realize how much I enjoy helping people,” Pasko said. “There are just so many service opportunities and you don’t really realize that until you’re looking for them. This program helped me find those opportunities.”

Fellow senior Brennen Buric, 18, took the initiative to combine his community outreach for the school program with his work in his Boy Scout troop. He discovered that despite his initial desire to avoid the “drama” of politics, he loves helping his community and getting information to voters.

“After being able to work some polls with different people running, I learned that most politicians are very nice people,” Buric said. “That’s not what you hear in your day-to-day life, and it’s not what you see on the news because (major parties) are always clashing with each other.”

In the past two weeks, students from Project 18 have hosted a recorded question-and-answer session with candidates for Hempfield school board and township supervisor positions. During a session with three supervisor candidates, Pasko and Buric asked each one the same questions in front of an audience of their peers. After a series of mediated questions, students in the audience were able to query the candidates. Pasko and Buric will edit and post a video of the event on the Project 18 50th anniversary Facebook page.

“We’ve been recording the sessions and sharing them with some other students so that the kids can make their own decision about who to vote for,” Buric said.

During the municipal primary election Tuesday, Hempfield seniors will volunteer at the polls for their chosen school board candidate. Pasko said students will be handing out literature, knocking on doors or assisting the campaign staff in tasks for the day.

“We’re going to be helping them campaign,” Buric said. “We got to pick which candidates we wanted to help out, and we’re going to try to assist them in any way we can.”

“I’m excited for it,” Buric said. “I’m interested in working on the polls after high school because it really gets you to meet new people, meet the politician and really get to know them and what they’re here for.”

Paul Adams, a Project 18 alum and associate professor of political science at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg in Hempfield, emphasized the importance of young voters knowing the process and municipal government.

“It’s critical that young voters should be well versed in local government practices,” Adams said. “I think it’s an important part of their maturation, not just as students, but as people in the community.”

He said that he commonly sees younger people with limited knowledge of local government. As the adviser of the university College Democrats club and previous adviser of the College Republicans club, he said that the hands-on club activities help students become become politically literate and engaged with the surrounding communities and local candidates.

“We try to get them to do a few service projects on campus,” Adams said. “We have both groups host voter registration campaigns. We hosted a voter information drive this past year. They also raise money for civic organizations.”

Both Project 18 and University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg have worked to make connections with local government officials to give students the opportunity to ask questions and learn the system.

“I realize that this program depends on good kids and candidates that are willing to share their experiences with us,” Stough said. “I’m just really grateful that we are able to keep this class going.”