Voting is one of the most important civic responsibilities Americans are entrusted with. As citizens, we can influence and protect our society by choosing our leaders. The long-standing U.S. Constitution originally granted this right to white men, but over the years, African Americans and women gained suffrage. This ongoing struggle for equal rights highlights why voting should never be taken for granted. The right to vote is a privilege that all adults should celebrate and exercise.
Lakewood High School is committed to making the milestone of adulthood an exciting one. Through the annual Celebration of Voting held at the end of each school year, students learn about their civic duty and are encouraged to see it as more than just an obligation. The event is hosted jointly by the League of Women Voters and Lakewood’s social studies department. Ron Lewis, Lakewood High School’s AP government teacher, explains how this meaningful event was established.
“Cindy Strebig and I were at an event about voting, and they were talking about other places where they did things to celebrate their new voters. And the term that kind of resonated with us is that somebody called it like a quinceanera or a bar mitzvah, like a rite of passage for kids. And so we started thinking about having a party to celebrate young voters,” said Lewis.
Through shared goals, Lewis and Cindy Strebig created something that will impact students’ lives long after high school. By encouraging voting and making it an engaging experience, they left a lasting influence on the new generation.
The Celebration of Voting is dedicated to its goals and offers juniors and seniors an opportunity to understand what voting truly means. Contrary to what it might sound like, this event is not just a chance to party and socialize. The League of Women Voters and Lakewood’s social studies teachers also provide a $1,000 scholarship for four students and set up booths where students can visit and learn.
One of these booths helped educate students about the League of Women Voters and what their impact truly is. Cindy Strebig, leader of the League’s Lakewood chapter, described the most important aspects of the Celebration of Voting.
“Honoring the women of the League of Women Voters is super important to me. Welcoming a whole new generation of voters is so important to me. Celebrating this milestone is very important to me. And I think just being together with everybody here, because we see when we all work together, we can really make a change,” said Strebig.
The importance of voting is something that needs to be highlighted in every American’s life. Strebig is a huge supporter of this idea. “How can you expect the society to function if you’re not telling the society what you want, right? If they’re telling you, that’s not a democracy. We’re supposed to be telling them what we want, power to the people, that’s exactly it,” Strebig said.
Voting empowers the people. The more votes citizens cast, the stronger our society becomes. The Celebration of Voting continues to grow each year, fostering a lasting tradition that will never be forgotten.
Another booth at the Celebration was hosted by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections. When students visited the table, they could participate in a mock ballot, helping them learn about the voting process. Dan Messina, an outreach worker for the board, explained his organization’s role in the community.
“We reach out into the community. We help answer questions about how to register. We also help recruit poll workers as well, and we handle vote by mail application forms” said Messina.
Engaging with the community and encouraging young people to vote are vital to the well-being of our society, and the Celebration of Voting represents a significant step in this effort. Lewis elaborated on the event’s positive impact on our community in greater detail.
“Well I think one thing is, at the end of the year, it’s great to celebrate any of our victories. And then two, like I said, maybe we sometimes see voting as, ‘Oh on a Tuesday, I have to take off work or whatever,’ instead of seeing it as you get to do these things and we should celebrate them. So just trying to kind of change the mindset a little bit in terms of how we view this important part of our democracy, and trying to have some fun together with people who have those same viewpoints,” said Lewis.
Celebrating voting and giving back to our community through scholarships is an unforgettable tradition. The League of Women Voters and Mr. Lewis have started a movement that transcends individuals, forever honoring the power of our people.
