Public Education Motivates Voters in the 2019 Nassau County, New York Election

During the 2019 local elections in Nassau County, New York, a variety of issues are drawing attention to young voters, such as public education.
“A lot of the small time voting, like voting for Governor and stuff like that just to fix like taxes and public education is a necessity. So, that’s kind of why I make sure I vote,” said Derek De Los Santos of East Meadow, New York.
Early Voting Aims to Improve Civic Engagement
For the first time in New York state history, voters have the option to participate in early voting. As part of Gov. Cuomo’s justice agenda, the state passed a law to initiate the program which ran from Oct. 8 through Nov. 3.
“I think that we don’t realize how much power small elections can have, and that big changes can start with small changes,” said Jacqueline Vargas of Levittown, New York.
Early voting is designed to increase engagement, and voters are making sure to be involved in local elections so that they can see change in the areas they care about.

Public Education in New York
There is a desire to see changes in the public education system in New York.
“I think that standardize testing needs to change because it forces students to memorize and regurgitate information instead of fostering actual education,” said Vargas.
According to the US News and World Report, New York state ranks 22 in the nation for its public education system. According to the Nation’s Report Card, a government database that ranks education, the average score of fourth-grade students in New York was 237 in 2019. This score was lower than the average score of 240 for public school students in the nation.
However, not all views of the public education system are negative. There are some changes over the past few years constituents approved of.
“I do like that I’ve seen they are taking a larger stance against bullying and stuff like that, I think that’s definitely a must as well. In today’s day and age with technology it’s so easy to get caught up in that, so public education taking a stance on that is great,” said De Los Santos.
Education in the Election
There will be a county legislator election in the Nassau County first district, which is home to Hempstead High School. According to New York State Data, Hempstead High School had a 47 percent graduation rate in 2018.
Public opinion about the quality of the high school has brought a lot of attention to the district. The candidates, democrat Kevan M. Abrahams and republican Cherice P. Vanderhall, could not be reached for comment on their plans for their district’s public education.
