Quick quiz: Can you name at least one of Virginia's two U.S. Senators? 56 percent of Virginia high school students cannot. Do you know who Dick Cheney is? One-third of Virginia high school students do not.
A recent study conducted by the University's Center for Politics found that Virginia high school students are not being adequately prepared at home or in the classroom to participate in the electoral process.
The Center for Politics released the results for Virginia Wednesday from its body of national research on Youth Civic and Political Engagement.
Statistics compiled by the Center for Politics study found that more than half of Virginia high school students surveyed felt that Politics was too complicated for ordinary people and less than half said they felt qualified to participate in politics.
Ken Stroupe, Center for Politics chief of staff, said while it's difficult to fault any one institution, the general lack of preparedness among high school students can be attributed to insufficient encouragement from parents and teachers to actively participate in the political process.
Stroupe said the foundation for active political engagement begins at home, and lessons learned at school can be reinforced by parents.
"The problem is, they are not being encouraged at home to participate in politics and government," he said. "And they're not being taught at school how to participate in politics and government."
Courtney Smith, a senior at Monticello High School, said she doesn't feel she is adequately educated about the election process in her government class. However, Smith said she is encouraged by her teacher as well as her parents to participate in government.
Stroupe said high school civics and government classes are being taught in an archaic manner and do not offer students the opportunity to experience politics and government firsthand.
"In too many places, government is still taught using a very old fashioned, sterile textbook model, rather than experiential learning," Stroupe said.
Matt Smyth, director of communications at the Center for Politics, said because high school students aren't old enough to vote, teaching them about voting is not really seen as important.
Stroupe agreed, saying educators and parents are waiting too long to teach students about the electoral process.
"Nobody's talking about it," he said. "Young people are not targeted until they reach 18."
Stroupe said the lack of voting privilege should not deter high school students from being involved in politics and government.
Study statistics document that of those high school students over the age of 18, only 49.5 percent were registered to vote.
"Every act available to adults is available to young people, except voting," he said.
Stroupe emphasized the importance of experiential learning when it comes to educating future voters. He said students need to get out of the classroom and into the community where they can interact with elected officials and discuss political issues.
Of those high school students surveyed, 25 percent have contacted an elected official or agency in the federal government, while 32 percent have contacted an official in local government.
Stroupe highlighted the need for students to gain insight from experiences out of the classroom.
"Don't tell me [about the political process]," he said. "Show me."
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