Letter to the Editor: Restore comprehensive civics education

To the Editor:

Our next election to choose the President of the United States is on Nov. 3, 2020. President Trump intends to run for re-election. He may face primary challengers, and the Democratic Party has 23 contenders for their party’s nomination.

What does this mean to a new voter? How can a person who has just turned 18 make sense of this complex political scene?

The League of Women Voters is a non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting and protecting voting rights. In working closely this Spring with Lawrence High School students to register new Mercer County voters, we signed up to 50 new voters in one morning.

Unfortunately, a significant number of students had little knowledge of what registration and voting are all about, perhaps because civics courses are rarely taught in New Jersey schools.

This letter is a call to action. We encourage school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, students and our state legislators to restore comprehensive civics education to the school curriculum and the educational experience.