Activism overcomes apathy as students register to vote

Stoneman Douglas tragedy has increased young adults’ awareness

At dozens of high schools, staffers from the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office are registering voters this week, providing an early test for the premise that students motivated by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre could become a potent voting bloc.

For Alex Joseph, the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 and wounded 17 at the Parkland high school was motivation. Joseph — who turns 18 five weeks before this year’s midterm elections — registered to vote Wednesday at his school, Blanche Ely High in Pompano Beach.

“At first, I wasn’t thinking about registering. What happened at Stoneman Douglas really affected me because I have friends who went there,” Joseph said, adding that political involvement has taken on new importance.

“As a youth, I feel I should be able to lead,” he said. “I’ve been advertising [registering to vote] to my friends.”

Shakera Barton, who also turns 18 in October, said she registered — and plans to vote — “mainly out of past events

at Douglas and gun reform. Our parents elected people who it seems like don’t have our best interests in mind. By voting we’ll be able to vote those people out and elect people who have the same views and mindset as us.”

Barton, of Fort Lauderdale, said she’s inspired by the activism of Stoneman Douglas students. “It hit so close to here. Everyone is taking it so seriously,” she said.

Barton and Jones had company Wednesday at their school, where a table of laptop computers was set up for online voter registration, and an Elections Office staffer had paper voter registration applications.

For weeks, teachers have been pushing the virtues of voting, and this week classes of juniors and seniors have come in waves to the voter registration operation set up in the school auditorium.

Similar efforts are taking place at high schools throughout the county, said Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes, who champions the annual drive. Before she took over the elections department in 2003, Snipes had been a teacher, principal and school district administrator.

Students who are 18 register to vote at the events, which usually last a day and a half to two days, Snipes said. Those who are 16 and 17 are pre-registered, and they get their voter cards on their 18th birthday.

Fred Bellis, elections operations coordinator and executive assistant to Snipes, said there has been surge of interest in this year’s drive. He said numbers wouldn’t be tallied until next week. Last year, 7,654 students registered.

Clarence Fleming, a social studies teacher at Blanche Ely, said he’s never seen more enthusiasm, something he attributed largely to the Stoneman Douglas massacre. “It is spurring a lot more interest, a lot more determination, and I don’t think they’re going to give up.”

Fleming, who grew up in Mississippi, said he tries to inspire students by explaining the struggle that ensured voting rights for African-Americans after generations of barriers to voting. “We infuse the actual voting process with history. We talk about the Voting Rights Act of 1965.”

Blanche Ely principal Karlton Johnson said “the political awareness, the voting awareness of our youth today is at an all-time high. It’s been a huge change.”

Delivering a civic engagement pep talk to students waiting to register Wednesday, Johnson urged them to become informed about the political world — and to look for leaders beyond celebrities like Nicki Minaj, Lady Gaga or LeBron James.

Sabrina Fernandez, president of the student government at Stoneman Douglas, told the School Board this week that her school would top the 739 new voters registered during the 2017 drive.

“Due to this recent tragedy, a lot of our students have had a wave of activism and involvement with the government, and want to have our voices heard,” she said. But, she added, simply registering does no good if people don’t vote.

In 2017, Stoneman Douglas which has an enrollment of about 3,200, registered the largest number of new voters in the group of the county’s largest high schools. Blanche Ely, with about 2,100 students, registered 144.

The Elections Office is registering voters at Stoneman Douglas, but the School District wouldn’t permit news coverage of the activities.

Leeron Rowe, 18, said he registered Wednesday at Blanche Ely because his economics teacher has been pushing students to sign up “for the longest time.”

“I just didn’t view it as important until this year,” he said.

MIKE STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER American government teacher Tyler Ferguson helps senior Leeron Rowe, 18, register to vote at Blanche Ely High. Students who aren't yet 18 are allowed to pre-register and will get their voter cards when they turn 18.

MIKE STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students sign up to vote at Blanche Ely High. Clarence Fleming, a social studies teacher at the school, said he’s never seen more enthusiasm, something he attributed largely to the Stoneman Douglas massacre.