In her first hours as the new Bexar County Elections administrator, Michele Carew held a press conference, inviting even student journalists to attend the conference and ask her questions regarding her intentions and goals in this new position.
With a history of elections work in Hood County, Carew came highly praised by Judge Peter Sakai and the other members of the Elections Commission.
As a student journalist, I had the privilege to attend the press conference with Carew and get a first hand perspective on what she plans to bring to the table for the May election.
I have also worked two elections myself, as a student election clerk, most recently participating in the 2024 Presidential Election. With this in mind, I was initially most curious on what Carew had to say in regards to appealing to youth voters and younger generations of election clerks.
Although it was only her first couple of hours on the job, Carew was adamant in her plan to move the election process into the 21st century. She mentioned the elections website being made up to date and including a Spanish translation for our Spanish speaking voters in Texas.
She briefly touched on technology that might help advance elections, software that wasn’t specified, but seemed to showcase her willingness to use technology to our advantage.
But if we’re going to continue advancing elections, especially with new technology, it is imperative that we get the younger generations who grew up with this technology involved.
With the average election clerk age falling within the mid seventies, student election clerks are needed now more than ever as the election process evolves. Generations that understand the new technology that is being used can help make the transition process smoother and provide valuable insight into what process would be most efficient.
Most of all, the younger generations are the ones who have to live the longest with the decisions voted on now, so it is so important to involve them in the elections process and encourage them to vote.
Carew and her team claim to understand the significance of youth involvement, and cited voter registration as one of their most important items on the list of things they wish to focus on in the upcoming election cycle.
However, Carew’s transition process as Bexar County’s Elections Administrator falls so close to a large election. Not only that, but early voting for the May Election falls on one of San Antonio’s biggest holidays: Battle of the Flowers.
With this in mind, it seems that Carew’s main focus is making sure these elections run as smoothly as possible.
She did have a meeting with Heather Eichling, founder of Youth Do Vote in an effort to discuss what actions can be taken to engage student election clerks and the youth in the voting process.
This effort speaks volumes about Carew and her team’s goals, and gives me some peace of mind that Carew’s promises will turn into actions, ones that could benefit the entire Bexar County community.
