Ohio secretary of state promotes civic engagement at Tusky Valley
Zoarville (WJER) (Aug 31, 2022) – Ohio’s elections chief has approached his latest group of newly and soon-to-be eligible voters about the importance of participating in the democratic process.
Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose spoke to upperclassmen at Tusky Valley High School this morning as part of his ‘Youth at the Booth’ initiative, coordinated with government teacher Jordan Widder. LaRose promoted registering to vote, signing up to be poll workers, and serving your community through public office.
LaRose says he tries to do these presentations as often as possible.
“It’s really one thing to stand up there and lecture them, but it’s another to try and illustrate it with stories,” said LaRose
“Really how powerful an election is and what a difference an election can make,” he added.
High School seniors found it meaningful.
Isaiah Ries says the speech inspired him to grab one of the voter registration forms made available during the presentation.
Kathryn Secoy also called the lecture valuable.
“Even though we have government classes and things like that through Tusky Valley, we don’t get the inside information that you get from meeting the secretary of state or just hearing from them directly and getting to ask personalized questions,” she said.
LaRose told the students about enlisting in the Army at the age of 18 followed by 10 years of active duty service that included time in Iraq as a Green Beret as that nation was hosting elections.
Charles Storesina says the presentation connected with him.
“I found it very informative, and I liked the reference he made back to whenever he was in the military because I do plan on going into the Navy in the future,” Storesina said.
The students had questions for LaRose dealing with requirements to vote, the typical day of a poll worker, and election fraud in 2020.
LaRose says he is always encouraged by how these events go.
“These bright young Ohioans are truly the future of our state and they’re going to leave their own imprint on it. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be their own, and each generation of this country has made it a little bit better, “ said LaRose.
The students also got to check out a demo voting machine brought by staff members from the Tuscarawas County Board of Elections and vote on a sample ballot with non-political questions.
