WINFIELD, W.Va. — Putnam County high school students will have no excuse to not participate in the upcoming general election. Putnam County Clerk Brian Wood and the county school board have teamed up to provide the opportunity for students to travel to the county courthouse and participate in early voting this year.
“Currently the law requires the clerks to go into the schools and provide a voter registration opportunity for the students,” said Wood. “I proposed we take it a step further and not only give them an opportunity to register to vote, but to give them an opportunity to vote.”
Students who wish to participate can board a bus at their school Oct. 23-24 and ride to the Putnam County Courthouse in Winfield where early voting takes place.
“It’s going to be non-partisan. Obviously, we’re going to pat the ones on the back who choose to participate and tell them, ‘Good job.” said Wood. “But we’re not going to hurt the ones that choose not to, because that’s obviously their right.”
Wood looks at the idea as an educational opportunity. He said many who register to vote have never seen a voting machine and may not even understand how the process works. He regularly takes the county’s voting machines into the elementary schools for instruction on how to vote, but that experience fades as they get older.
“Civics classes try to teach it, but there’s never a hands on experience for students,” said Wood. “Our goal would be to provide the opportunity to not only educate them in the classroom in the way of election, but give them the opportunity to get on the bus, be driven to the courthouse, and push the buttons themselves.”
Wood hopes by being shown the process many of the first time voters will be interested in a lifelong participation in their civic duty.
“They realize it’s not that bad an experience and not that big a deal,” Wood said. “Plus they’re making decisions for themselves for their future. Decisions made today will affect 18 year olds when they are 25.”