PORTSMOUTH-New Hampshire Primary Elections are next week, January 23. This election holds extreme importance to the state of the country and young voters have the potential to make a huge impact on its turnout.
The requirements to vote in the primary are: photo identification, proof of residency, must be a U.S. Citizen, and must be 18 years or older. The last day to register to vote prior to the Primary Election according to the City of Portsmouth website was “Tuesday, January 16 at the city clerk’s office,” but if you missed registration, “you can register to vote at the polls on Election Day.”
Polling hours will be 8:00 am to 7:00 pm at all 5 wards. Ward One is New Franklin School, Ward Two is Portsmouth Middle School Connie Bean, Ward Three is Portsmouth Senior Activity Center, Ward Four is Dondero Elementary School, and Ward Five is Little Harbour School. Your voting location is determined by the ward your address is located at.
Due to the Ward locations existing in many of the Portsmouth schools, there will be no school on Tuesday, January 23.
Additionally, Portsmouth High School is implementing changes in the Social Studies curriculum to encourage students to register to vote.
“Young people are going to inherit our country and their voices are really helpful in guiding the country in the direction that they want,” Michelle Wheeler, a social studies teacher at PHS, said. Because of this, the social studies department has collectively decided to move the Civics portion of the U.S. History course to junior and senior years.
“The reason for that move is the hope that your about to be voting in your senior year, so if you’re learning about how the government works, and how a citizen can work within a system or promote change or give their voice and opinions, that it’s going to be easier to do in just a year. It seems more applicable,” continued Wheeler
To encourage students to register to vote, Wheeler said, “the student council is working to bring voting registration to the school during senior week.” This went on last year at PHS and helped to make voting registration for students less intimidating.
An article by Harvard Kennedy School conducted a national poll on youth voters 18-29 years old during the fall of 2023 that showed, “young Americans appear less likely to vote in 2024 than they did in 2020, which was a record-setting year for youth turnout.”
Registering to vote for the first time can seem daunting to many 18-year-olds, but the process is quite simple.
“The town website details exactly how to register,” Cynthia Young, a social studies teacher at PHS, said.
Portsmouth’s website has an elections tab, City of Portsmouth Voting Information, with voting information as well as student voting information. It details registration dates and times, voting dates, wards and ward maps, and a how-to section on voting registration.
