Democracy Fest Rallies Atlanta Public Schools Students to Register to Vote

For six years, Democracy Fest has put on some of the best pep rallies in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) while also informing high school students about the importance of registering to vote.

Across three days at three high schools (Maynard Jackson High School, D.M. Therrell High School, and Frederick Douglass High School), hundreds of APS high school students from across the district packed into gyms for a Democracy Fest lineup that included special guest speakers, infotainment games, marching band battles, and of course an opportunity to get registered to vote.

Benjamin E. Mays High School proudly announced that it has reached 100% voter registration for eligible students.

“Our kids love the energy and the pep rally,” Therrell High School Principal Octavious Harris said. “We can associate those things with civic duties, build excitement around voting, and let them know that their voices are powerful.”

Democracy Fest’s rally at Therrell was held on National Voter Registration Day, but the students were already mobilizing their peers well before the big rally. The Therrell Student Government Association (SGA) reached out to principal Harris early in the school year and requested to host their own voter registration drive.

“The students on the advisory council are active voices in our school,” he said. “They motivate their peers, make sure they have things in order, and make sure that our students know what’s going on. The voter registration drive was 100% student led.”

“I can say [tell them to get registered]. Teachers and parents can say it,” he added. “But when the message comes from their peers, it hits a little different.”

Marcel Copeland, a BEST Academy alumnus, has made the most out of the Democracy Fest experience. The former Student Advisory Council member and BEST Academy Student Government President now works as an intern in the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services and serves on the city’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC), which helps plan Democracy Fest.

Having been on both sides of Democracy Fest, Copeland has observed how the event motivates students to not only register to vote but also encourages them to learn more about how government works and what they can do to influence their communities. When he was a student representative for BEST Academy, all of the eligible voters in his senior class were registered voters.

“Now, it’s more important than ever to let students know the power of their voices,” he said. “They just need to know how exactly to use it.”