Experience: Testifying in the MD State House and Senate

By Jacquelyn Slade, 18, Hampstead, MD

I sat in the zoom waiting room, anxiously waiting for my name to be called. I was sitting there in my purple blazer and black dress, surrounded by people testifying who were at least four years older than me. I wondered whether I would get asked questions by the other legislators, or whether I would mess up while reading my testimony from my computer screen. The worry that the legislators would not take me seriously because of my age persisted–but I moved forward with the support of my colleges from the League of Women Voters and Maryland PIRG

I was about to testify in front of the House Ways and Means Committee for HR 156–The Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act. The Voter Empowerment Act is a great first step to make the process of registering and turning out to vote easier, especially for young people in the military and at university or college.

As said by the bill’s House sponsor Delegate Luedtke “We do a great job at explaining why voting is important but fall short in teaching Marylanders how to actually do so. The Student and Military Voter Empowerment Act seeks to correct this by making election information and polling places more accessible for students, military personnel, and others. We know that voting is habitual and making sure that our young people are able to build this habit early is a good thing for everyone who supports a healthy democracy in the state.”

Many of you may not think your voices matter, or are heard by the powers that be. However, my experience indicates that in fact, your voice can be heard. My interest in the issue was prompted by the lack of awareness I saw in many peers and adults surrounding voting–In fact, 44% of people ages 18-24 did not vote in the 2016 election. This often results in those who are in office not representing the majority of the population, because they don’t believe their voices matter.

My scholars project VotEd seeks to educate young people on how to vote and inspire them to become civically engaged in government processes. Additionally, I was testifying as a member of the League of Women Voters, an organization that was founded during the women’s suffrage movement which advocates for the rights of voters across the United States most notably by producing non-partisan voter guides that inform people about the stances of candidates in each election. I had been aided by

Maryland PIRG, a mainly student-run organization which seeks to champion the public interest — to speak out for healthier, safer, more secure lives for all of us – in crafting my testimony. By working with members from both groups, I crafted my testimony, both my personal oral and written testimony and the official testimony for the League of Women Voters, as the League’s position aligned with my personal views.

I was easily able to get on the list to testify in front of both the House and Senate. I got on the witness list by signing up through a My MGA account (https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Account/Register). This account can be used to track the progress of bill in the MD House and Senate and also can be used to sign up to testify in favor of or against said bills. I had to create an account and sign up on a specific day and time to testify.

I feel my testimony was received quite well. I was working with members of two activism groups, Maryland PIRG and the League of Women Voters, and both of them responded favorably to my testimony. In the House, one of the delegates, Del. April Rose, who represents my district started paying attention to the meeting when I thanked her for representing me. In the Senate, I was also told by Sen. Kagan that it was nice to see a younger person testifying through the League of Women Voters, which is an organization traditionally made up of older people. Other college students testified, but no other high school students testified.

I currently, along with the League of Women Voters, am anxiously monitoring the progress of the bill in the House and Senate via the My MGA website. The bill was given a favorable report with amendments in the House Ways and Means Committee due to my efforts along with the efforts of many others. I hope that it is given a favorable report in the Senate as well, and anxiously monitor its progress.

If any of you would like to become involved in such work, please reach out to me at jslade@stpaulsmd.org.