As the election looms closer, politics has permeated our lives as young citizens, whether it be in the classroom, online, or at home. For a select few students, November will provide an exciting opportunity to exercise their democratic participation in a battleground state. Others track polls or glance at the endless headlines that pile up, day after day. In the Cary Academy community, students and teachers alike grapple with this momentous year and how our country, state, and localities will emerge from the throes of the ballot box.
In early September, History teacher Patrick Lasseter gathered community-wide data regarding the 2024 Presidential Election, surveying parents, students, and employees. The goal of the survey, said Mr. Lasseter, was to ensure students “are well-prepared to navigate the complexities of the electoral process while fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose.”
He added, “I was very happy that we got so many surveys back from students, which I think is a testament to how curious our students are about the world around them, whether they are of voting age or not.”
The survey highlighted a plethora of election issues that matter most to the Charger community. Mr. Lasseter used ChatGPT to analyze the responses, fine-tuning the prompts to create an organized document with election aspects, issues, concerns, and helpful strategies ranked by frequency. “After a few test prompts, it was able to really dig into the responses (most of the questions were open-ended) to find patterns and themes,” Mr. Lasseter explained.
At the top of the issues list was abortion and reproductive rights, climate change and environmental issues, and the economy. Interestingly, the respondent top three issues reflect a national trend: 68% of Harris supporters and 93% of Trump supporters say economy is a top election issue, according to a September survey by Pew Research Center. However, a bigger divide occurs between Harris and Trump supporters on the prioritization of abortion and climate change: 67% of Harris supporters say abortion is a top election issue as opposed to Trump supporters’ 35%, and 62% of Harris supporters prioritize climate change in the election as opposed to 11% of Trump supporters.
On the September 18th X-Day, the leaders of CA Youth and Government as well as Current Events Club organized a full-day exploration of election processes, national and North Carolinian politics, election misinformation, and specific presidential platforms.
Dr. Greene speaking to students about politics and the election process on September’s X-Day.
To kick off the day, students participated in a lively Q&A with Dr. Steven Greene, a Professor of Political Science at NC State University. Dr. Greene dove into spots on the NC ticket to pay attention to, including the NC Superintendent of Public Instruction as well as the hotly contested gubernatorial race. He explained the curiosity of the NC Governor and Lieutenant Governor ticket—they don’t run as a ticket because of status quo bias and path dependency (basically, we won’t change it because that’s how it’s been done for a long time). Dr. Greene also addressed the class-based change in politics and the educational polarization/education realignment, the future of the Republican party, and why third parties will never, ever succeed in our electoral process. “I found it really interesting to have a real politics expert answering our questions,” reflected Mathias Stempin (’26).
In the afternoon, students researched the Trump and Harris platforms on a variety of issues, informed by Mr. Lasseter’s election survey data. The day culminated in multi-media presentations of each candidate’s policy, which included comics, infographics, and slideshows. Dr. McElreath emphasized the importance of this election, saying, “I believe the school has a responsibility to help students understand the potential consequences.”
Jackie He (’28) holds up a cartoon he drew at September’s X-Day that compares Bidenomics and Trumpenomics
The excitement and significance around this election awakened many young people to a changing political world shifting around them, whether through coconut memes, Taylor Swift’s endorsement, or classroom discussions. Presumably, this political and educational momentum will pay itself forward when Chargers step into the voting arena in the next few years.
“My hope is that students will see that their questions are being addressed, will opt into learning the answers, and will continue to be engaged citizens,” remarked Mr. Lasseter.
To further the discussion, students Eliza Gayer, Anna-Sophia Polge, and Gray Arndts expanded the programming offered during X-Day to a wider audience during Lunch and Learn sessions on 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, and 10/29.
“2. Issues and the 2024 Election.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 9 Sept. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/09/09/issues-and-the-2024-election/.