Tennessee High School recognized for 100% of eligible students registering to vote

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL) – Tennessee’s Secretary of State was in Bristol Friday morning to recognize student voters.

Secretary of State Tre Hargett presented Tennessee High School with the Anne Dallas Dudley Gold Level Award. The school received the award after 100% of its eligible students registered to vote.

Bristol State Liners announce plans for 2024 home games

“It’s fantastic,” Hargett said. “It tells you a lot about what the values of the community are, what they hold dear here at this high school as well. And also what I really hope it does is sends [an] example to other area schools as well, that next year they will set out to achieve this award.”

In addition to Hargett, State Senator Jon Lundberg, State Representative John Crawford and Sullivan County Administrator of Elections Jason Booher attended the award presentation.

“18 to 25-year-olds are the most underserved when it comes to their participation in elections,” Booher said. “They are the least likely to vote, and so seeing a commitment level of this degree indicates that they are prepared to change that and exercise their voice and make sure that their concerns and their issues are heard.”

The Gold Level of the Dudley Award is reserved for schools that achieve 100% student voting registration. A Silver Level is awarded to schools that achieve at least 85%.

Tennessee High School government and economics teacher Andrew Cross also received an award Friday, and two student ambassadors were given certificates.

“It’s very important to me that the demographic they talked about, 18 to 25, is the lowest turnout,” Cross said. “If we give them this voice, we can change that demographic.”

“The lowest demographic of voters is people around my age, around 18 to 29,” student ambassador Torey Walk said. “So it’s really important for us to go out and vote, register to vote, to know that our vote matters.”

Cross said Booher has come to speak on the importance of voting at Tennessee High School for years. According to Walker, Cross helped several students in their registration process.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather.