INDIANAPOLIS – Students from the Tippecanoe Valley High School political economic studies class visited the Indiana statehouse Dec. 13. The students received a brief tour before meeting with the Secretary of State Connie Lawson. The seniors have been working to answer the driving question, “How do we increase voter turnout in our counties?” After meeting with County Clerk Ann Torpy to discuss the state of voter turnout in Kosciusko, each group came up with a target audience and propaganda proposal. “I think it’s enlightening because I didn’t even realize what all went into the voting process. I thought there was a lot higher turnout overall, especially in our county,” senior Nolan Sponseller said. “It was just an eye opener because not as many people voted as I expected.” The students met with Lawson to discuss how she has tried to increase voter turnout throughout Indiana since taking office. During a question-and-answer session, students specifically asked what she’s done to target voters in their age group, which many of them chose for their target audience. Lawson also discussed her career path and how she became secretary of state. “I really liked that she was a ‘normal person’ with roots just like us, so it’s totally possible for someone like me to be in a career like her,” senior Cynthia Stamberger said. Students presented their final proposals to the Kosciusko County Election Board Wednesday.
