Ballot Boost

27 high schools near Chicago have turned into real early-voting sites. The people running the polls are students, trained as election judges who check in voters and hand out ballots. During the primary, 126 students at 24 schools did the job, and 1,136 people voted, most of them students. Organizers say the goal is simple. Give students who are old enough a chance to vote, and teach them how it works.

Young people are the group least likely to vote. In the last midterm election in 2022, about 31 percent of Americans ages 18 to 29 voted, compared to about 67 percent of those 65 and older. This year's Election Day is November 3, and election offices like the one in Cook County are trying new ways to close that gap.

Your Task: Imagine you work in your county's election office. You cannot tell anyone who to vote for, but your job is to make it easier for every eligible young person to cast a ballot.

1. What Gets in the Way
Think of someone you know between 18 and 29, or picture yourself at 18. Name the one thing most likely to keep them from voting, like not knowing how it works, not having a ride, or not getting time off work. Say why it is a real problem for them. (2 to 3 sentences.)

2. The Fix
Design one thing your county election office could do to get rid of that problem. It cannot be another polling place at a high school. Say where it happens, who runs it, and how a young voter would hear about it. (3 to 4 sentences.)

3. Past High School
Most young voters are not in high school anymore, like college students or 22-year-olds working full-time. Pick one of those groups and say how you would change your fix from step 2 so they actually show up. (3 sentences.)