Seniors Voting

As the calendar flips over to 2026, some Gilman students are feeling the pressure of one of our nation’s greatest responsibilities: the right to vote. Several of Gliman’s seniors who turned eighteen over the past year are now eligible to vote in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. Among other things, seniors will help decide their Congressional Representative, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, State Senator, State House Representative, one member of both the State Supreme Court and appellate court, and the Commission on Judicial Disabilities Vacancies Amendment to the Maryland Constitution. With such a great responsibility being bestowed upon some of our students, the Snooze set out to see how seniors were feeling about the upcoming elections. 

The Snooze first started in the senior room, where our staff polled seniors of voting age on their thoughts on the election. Of those polled in the senior room, 62% of students marked that they were not aware of the elections, 28% of the students were aware of the elections but unaware of the candidates, 6% of students were aware of the elections and somewhat aware of the candidates, and 4% of students shoved their questionnaire down their friends’ pants while they had them in a headlock. According to Colton Danielczyk ‘26, “I thought we had elections last year. Didn’t Jonathan Yu and Mr. Ledyard try to start a Gilman chant during them? Do you have any more of those papers I can put down Chase’s pants?” We also spoke with fellow senior Walton Staley ‘26, who told us, “I think someone is pulling your leg. If that many people really worked in the government, surely they would have passed a law by now.”

Next, we headed to a meeting of Gilman’s speech and debate team. When asked what he knew about the elections, Rik Chaudhuri ‘26 gave a ten-minute monologue about the great importance of voting in elections and making one’s voice heard in our republic. He passionately declared, “It is absolutely vital that young Americans engage in the public sphere and advocate for their ideas through the ballot box.” When asked if he had any candidates he planned on supporting in this year's elections, he told the Snooze, “I’m pretty sure those aren’t for another two years.” 

Eventually, we were able to find some seniors who were invested in the 2026 elections. The Snooze spoke with senior Myles Koff ‘26, who told us, “I’ve been in constant contact with attorney general candidates about what they plan to do about Gilman’s dress code. I will have graduated, but I want to ensure that Maryland’s next attorney general will seek justice for Gilman students who have been forced to take off their coats during assembly.” Similarly, Spencer Oddo ‘26 told the Snooze that he has donated thousands to campaigns of candidates for both the state Supreme Court and appellate court in order to gain favor with any potential judges. When we asked Spencer why he felt compelled to curry favor with the state judiciary, he declined to comment.

The seniors still have some time to get their bearings before the November election, and the Snooze will continue to falsely report on their development throughout the year as long as it is convenient to us.