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Voter rally helps high schoolers register to vote

At Westwood High School the League of Women Voters and several elected officials helped register young voters before the Oct. 7 deadline.

AUSTIN, Texas — Time is running out to register to vote in the November election. On Friday, some made an effort to get more young people involved in doing their civic duty.

Monday, Oct. 7, is the last day people can register to vote on school bonds and local and state propositions in November.

Hundreds of seniors filed into the Westwood High School gym on Friday.

"These are our voter pep rallies that we started doing last year in District 6 at Westwood and McNeil high schools," said Austin council member Jimmy Flannigan. "We need these kids to be participating in the decisions that are determining their future – they're going to have to deal with the futures we're deciding on much longer than we are."

Flannigan and several other elected officials spoke to the students, sharing their thoughts on why it's important to join the record-setting number of registered voters.

RELATED: Nearly 94% of eligible voters in Travis County are registered to vote, county says

"This is your process, your time to get in and get to tell everyone else what to do, tell us what to do as your representatives, to tell us how you want your government to work," said State Rep. John Bucy.

"Getting these folks, these kids educated and comfortable with being a voter, knowing that it's important to be a voter, will make them a voter for their whole lives," said Flannigan. 

RELATED: Here's how you can register before Oct. 7 deadline.

That's why the League of Women Voters was there as well, registering eligible seniors so they can vote in the upcoming election.

Some of the students who did register felt like this was the right thing for their school to do.

"It was a great way for them to give us information, about voting and how to register," said Aiden Petratos.

RELATED: Travis County hosts Volunteer Deputy Registrar training

"We're not the generation to seek out things if it's not really brought to us, so I think that when it comes to the importance of voting it was good on our administration's part to bring that to us," said Caitlin Williams.

Election Day is Nov. 5, but early voting starts a few weeks before, on Oct. 21.

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