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03/30/2016 08:15 AMVoter turnout is key to the democratic process, but young people historically vote in relatively low numbers, effectively keeping their voices from being heard by their government. Now, the League of Women Voters (LWV) of the East Shore is working to do something about it.
To inspire young people to get involved with government and vote, the LWV has organized a “Youth Should Vote!” student video contest. High school students from Branford, North Branford, Madison, and Guilford are invited to make a 30 second video on the importance of voting to help get the word out.
LWV of the East Shore President Carol Reimers said the group was inspired to create the video contest to help young people feel their voice has a purpose in government.
“We see that young people have the lowest turnout for voting and appear to have a difficult time with seeing where they can have an impact on their government,” she said. “This contest seemed like a creative and different way to get young people to think about how they might inspire other young people to become more involved with voting and issues that affect them.”
LWV is a nonpartisan political organization that works to encourage active participation in government and increase understanding of public policy issues. It has included men in its membership since 1974.
According to LWV, turn out from voters aged 18 to 29 fell to its lowest point on record in 2014. Reimers said she hoped this type of contest would help raise awareness among young shoreline voters.
“The league is interested in involving young citizens in our democracy,” she said.
To enter the contest, students must create a 30 second, nonpartisan, public service announcement and submit the video by midnight on Sunday May 1. The first place winner will receive $150, second place will receive $100, and third place will receive $50.
“We hope to have several participants from each of the high schools that we are including,” she said. “We hope that there is enough interest to make this an annual event. We will see if this sparks interest among the students.”
Judging will take place between May 1 and 18 and winners will be notified by Friday, May 20. Submissions will be judged on content, delivery, and creativity.
To learn more about the League of Women Voters and the student video contest, visit www.lwvct.org/Eastshore.html.