Students' Efforts to Increase Voter Turnout in Northwest Arkansas
NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK
Eight Graders of the Arkansas Arts Academy in Rogers, AR may not be able to vote now, however, they can still spread the word and help ensure a larger turnout of voters this election.
They used their skills to design over 200 non-partisan postcards to send to people living in Benton County.
The postcards remind recipients early voting is underway for the Nov. 6 general election. They also provide the website address -- www.voterview.org -- where people can view sample ballots.
Only 60% of voters turned in ballots in the 2016 election, much to the dismay of the eighth-grade class who assumed that number would be closer to 98%. The students were even more troubled, she said, to learn that only 4.5 percent of Rogers voters participated in the election in August to extend a 1 percent sales tax.
All of the postcards were handmade because their research had shown that a handmade paper is more likely to be read than a mass-produced card.
"I feel like it was important to say, 'Hey, you have the right to vote. Don't forget that,'" said Matthew Andrews, 13, of Bella Vista.
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