LT Students Can Register Today at North Campus to Vote

Hoping to start high school students on a lifetime of voting, the League of Women Voters of the La Grange Area is sponsoring  voter registration May 23 at the Lyons Township High School north campus, 100 S. Brainard Ave.

Students who are age 18, or will turn 18 by Nov. 6, may register from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the library or from 10:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday. They need to bring identification- such as a driver’s license or state ID card _ or their Social Security number.

While the aim is to register students - if teachers or staff members are interested, “we’d be happy to register them,” said Krista Grimm, chapter member and a former president.

Voter registration is a core activity, according to Grimm, of the League, formed in 1920.  The La Grange Area chapter was formed in 1924 and includes 11 communities, from Riverside going west to Hinsdale and Westchester southwards to Indian Head Park, said the La Grange Park resident.

Surveys have shown that once someone has voted initially, he or she is more likely to vote in the future, she said.

“We want all voters to participate in the democracy; we want to make this possible for them.”

The chapter usually holds two registration drives, during the spring and fall, at LT during an election year. Grimm said she is no sure whether the chapter will hold a fall event.

The chapter has at least 10 deputy registrars, who have been trained by Cook County Clerk David Orr’s office, she said.

Officials have no goal set for the number of voters registered May 23, she said. “We’re hoping for really big numbers.” Of the approximately 1,000 students at LT, she is hoping the chapter can register 200.

While students can register at township or municipal offices, or some libraries, she said, “If you have an event, it makes it easier for them.”