On November 5, 2024, the United States came together to decide who was going to hold the highest position of power: the President of our country.
On election day, social studies teacher Ashley Hildebrand took Powell High School [PHS] seniors of the voting age to register, cast their ballots, and learn about the voting process here in Wyoming.
“I think it is really important to show my students how the election process works, from registering to vote to casting their vote and then how the process goes from there to the Electoral College,” Hildebrand said. “I also think that voting for the first time can be confusing and I wanted to make sure that my students knew exactly where to go and how to register when we got there.”
Mrs. Hildebrand was amazed by the length of the voting lines, calling them “the longest I have ever seen in Powell,” but she thinks the students still had a good experience.
“I do think that my students benefitted by going with me during the school day, especially since the lines to vote were very long,” Mrs. Hildebrand said. “ I took them directly to the registration table [which had no line], and they were able to register quickly and then get back in line to vote.”
Senior Jacob Harms was a first-timer who went on the trip with Mrs. Hildebrand and was surprised at the simplicity of the whole thing, having expected a more complicated process.
“I was surprised by how many people showed up at one time,” Harms said. “I thought it would be a bit fancier. They just had a bunch of tables set up, and you would go to your line to register to vote, and they would give you your ballot, and then you would just go and vote.”
Harms also spoke about who and what appeared on the ballot besides the presidential candidates, and a former teacher who he wanted to support.
“I voted for Zac Opps because he was one of my teachers, so I voted him as a [school board] trustee,” Harms said. “[other things we voted for included] people for the hospital, the fire department, the school board. We [also] voted on the lodging tax.”
While most first-time PHS voters went with Mrs. Hidebrand’s class, senior Landon Smallwood voted on his own time.
“I didn’t vote with Mrs. Hildebrand,” Smallwood said. “I went after school on Tuesday.”
Whether it was the long lines, the anticipation of first-time voting, or something else, Mrs. Hidlebrand’s students had a memorable first experience voting.
