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Gold Award Girl Scout, Mackinna
Mackinna’s Gold Award project focused on engaging high schoolers to get more involved in elections and the elections process, addressing the issue of not having enough poll workers for elections. Through research Mackinna discovered a solution that could take aim at both issues with one solution.
Mackinna learned when young people are involved in the election process as poll workers, they are more likely to vote in future elections and in Maine, a 16-year-old can become a poll worker. With that knowledge she took action fostering a relationship between the Westbrook City Clerk and High School administration to start a civic learning lecture series, helped with a voter registration drive, and promoting youth civic engagement by enlisting high school juniors and seniors to work the polls.
Mackinna’s innovative approach was shared with Secretary of State Shenna Bellows for future program rollouts in other Maine municipalities to engage the next generation of youth voters. Through her experience Mackinna developed her leadership skills and “learned I could feel a sense of pride in my involvement in something.”
