History Teachers Reflect on the Importance of Voting

With the 2026 midterm elections approaching on November 3rd, voters will decide which party takes control of the House, Senate and local offices that directly affect the DMV area. Campaign signs are already popping up. Most upper school students are patiently waiting to be eligible to vote; many of the faculty can, so “Scribbler” asked two teachers why they personally choose to participate.

When asked why young people should care about midterms, upper school history teacher Joel Seltzer highlighted youth turnout and representation. He noted that “young people tend to vote in very low numbers. The elderly vote is in the highest numbers and the young in the lowest. This means that our government and its policies often reflect the policy interests of the elderly and not the young.”

Also, pushing back on the idea that one vote doesn’t count, Seltzer argued that “if you think your vote doesn’t matter, you

probably won’t vote. In some states, a few dozen votes have had national implications. That rarely happens in Maryland, but at

the local level, a few votes can make a big difference,” especially

about issues he cares about, such as “better bike and public

transit” options in Montgomery County.

Upper school history teacher Pat McCullough described local elections as a form of civic education that forces attention to issues close to home. He mentioned that "when it comes time to vote for local issues and offices, it forces me to understand issues that I might not have been paying close enough attention to,” so

he feels that voting is like joining his voice with his neighbors’.

McCullough framed voting as a responsibility that comes from studying history and observing that “for most of human history, most people have had very little say over who governed them or what their government did.” He believes “that gives us some responsibility to participate,” and he stated that otherwise the government cannot truly represent its people.

That sense of responsibility did not come right away for McCullough, who admitted, “To be perfectly honest, I was not politically engaged until my senior year in college,” which was when the 9/11 attacks occurred and became a wake-up call for him to

vote.