Kearns- There is an understanding that local elections are not a highlight of most people’s lives. A majority of most people find Off-presidential elections a burden and fail to see the importance of midterm and local elections.  Most people have a misunderstanding on their importance involved with this civil duty.

With the wake of a new generation of voters, we see a new interest and engagement in local politics. With rising controversies in political media, with events such as the Brett Kavanagh Hearing, we see more people invested in the upcoming election process.

The Cougar Claw got to see what lengths candidates go through to promote not only themselves but the democratic process. By reaching out to both candidates of major political parties. The Mitt Romney campaign did not respond back.

The Cougar Claw had the privilege to accompany current United States senate candidate, Jenny Wilson, as she canvassed the Kearns area on Saturday the 22nd.

With an understanding that off term elections there is not as high of a turn out Wilson expressed, “We tend to see high turnouts in presidential years, this of course is not a presidential year, but what we are doing this year is so critical. Critical in that Orrin Hatch is retiring, who has been re-elected since the 70’s. So, this is a big choice for voters, and is a perfect example of engaging in a non-presidential year.”

She goes on to state “I feel that this race matters, And I feel a little frustrated because I think we will have a higher turnout in two years when there is a presidential race and we shape so much of our government in these off years.”

The Claw later asked how we as high school students can have our voices heard in the political process, Wilson responded with, “Most in highschool are coming on a time when they can vote, and that time is going to be soon. I love a civics class or history class that really works on educating responsibility, what it means to be a citizen empowered government. High school is a perfect time to engage as you can certainly support a cause.”

Wilson expressed how much of a privilege it is to serve in areas such as Kearns and represent people. The unique experience and understanding of how Wilson genuinely interacted with people was quite insightful. It shows how alive and connected politics really are.

When posed with the question if going door to door really impacted things such as the campaign trail. Wilson responded with the clear and simple, “Absolutely, to just have authentic conversations with people means everything. You recognize in this divided age that our humanity and connections are the most important thing.”

Wilson interacted with a family here in Kearns. Going over topics such as voting and whether or not they were registered to vote, ultimately, she wanted just to know how the people of the community really felt and how they were interacting with the current political climate.

We can engage in politics in high school and empower ourselves to be engaged it’s just a matter of our willingness. With elections coming up we encourage all high school students to be informed on what’s on the ballot and those old enough to vote to take this opportunity to engage in the political process. We have a voice. We have a choice. We shape the future our country.