BENZONIA -- Jake Jeske plans to cast a ballot for the first time in the November general election, just days after his 18th birthday.
He began to think about voting soon after he turned 17, and formally signed his name Friday to a registration list. Now Jake, a student at Benzie Central High School, will be able to support any candidate he chooses, from the national contests down to his father, who's active in local politics.
"I can vote for him," Jake said, adding that the best part of being able to participate is "having a voice."
Juniors and seniors from Benzie Central and Frankfort high schools attended a voting rally Friday in the Benzie auditorium, where they registered to vote and met candidates for various local, state and national offices.
Candidates passed out signs, stickers and buttons, and introduced themselves to students. Township clerks sat at two tables in the lobby and helped students find their precincts and fill out necessary paperwork.
More than 200 students from both schools will be eligible to vote this November.
It was the first time the school hosted such an event, said Dave Micinski, superintendent of Benzie County Central Schools. Administrators and teachers wanted to prepare as many students for the upcoming election as they could before graduation.
During the event, some local candidates stressed the importance of every vote, especially among an underrepresented youth population, and told students it didn't matter who they voted for so long as they went to the polls.
"They're going to go off to college, they're obviously going off in the workforce, and November might sneak up on us," Micinski said. "We would provide them that opportunity."
And, it seemed, many students wanted to take it.
The school event made it convenient for some, including Benzie Central senior Joe Smeltzer, to sign up.
He said he already is hearing conversation in the halls about the presidential race, particularly as the Democratic nomination continues to unfold, and young voters could be critical come November.
"If you don't try to change anything, nothing will happen," Smeltzer, 18, said. "We're definitely a minority. There's enough of us that we could really have an impact."
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