Historically, senior skip day has been treated as a holiday in many American high schools. Students take time to plan a day that allows them to skip school and have a great time avoiding stress from classwork. Traditionally, this involves drinking, partying, and if you’re from anywhere near the water, then the beach. This year, many students are seeing that there might be something a little more important and worthy of skipping school for. With November 6th inching closer, students have decided that they will choose to walk out of school to vote. On the heels of March for our Lives, this movement goes hand in hand, urging all students to walk out and those that are 18, to walk out and vote.
Students are excited to have a say in their future. With the alarming rates of attacks on the safety of children, this movement is giving them a chance to make a difference. According to walkouttovote.org, this project is one of many youth-led initiatives created by the Future Coalition, who also worked for March for Our Lives. Last week, the hashtag #walkouttovote began to trend on social media as a way to get everyone excited and informed about the event. This website allows you to find the closest walkout to you or provides you with the ability to sign your school up for one. The movement will look different at each location but overall, students will be trying to make their way to their closest polling location to vote. Along with this, the website also allows people to register to vote and to find ways to get involved. The website lets students download pre-made graphics to post on social media and share them to spread awareness.
Courtesy: walkouttovote.org
With the movement’s unveiling on October 3rd, it has gotten a lot of press, making students excited about the opportunity to have a voice. Earlier this year, students were urged to walk out in support of gun violence, and now they are being asked to walk out to support voting. The students who are not able to vote yet get the opportunity to stand in solidarity. According to Bustle, the participating students want this opportunity to build momentum and show that they will have a say in their own future. Students walking out to vote might just be the start of a new movement.