Standing opposite an American flag in the school cafeteria yesterday morning, Joe Salvo swore in nine Waltham High School students registering to vote for the first time.
With their right hands raised, the students read aloud from an affidavit on the bottom of their registration forms, declaring themselves legal to vote in the November election.
Julia Russo, 17, said she's eager to cast a ballot for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.
"I'm going to be 18 and I want to vote. It will be my first year," she said, adding she valued Obama's ideals.
Student Christine Chan, 18, also said she plans to vote for Obama in the presidential race.
"(I'm voting for) Barack Obama," she said. "Don't ask me why, but anybody but (Democratic candidate) Hillary Clinton ... she's too stressed out."
Yesterday marked the 20th year that Salvo, a computer teacher at Kennedy Middle School, has run a registration campaign at the high school.
Despite a slightly lower turnout than last year - 125 students registered this year, down from 130 in 2007 - Salvo said he has seen a renewed interest in young voters due to the upcoming presidential election.
"This year I had more students who told me they have already registered so they are becoming more involved," Salvo said.
Salvo said he adopted the registration campaign from a former teacher two decades ago.
"Mr. Joe Levy did this prior to me, then asked me if I'd like to take over and I welcomed the invitation," he said. "We have a presidential election and I tell (students) the importance of voting. Throughout the world, people have walked for miles and miles for the right to vote, and throughout history there have been wars fought just for the right to vote."
Some students said they might not have registered if it were not for Salvo making the process simple.
"I probably wouldn't have done it," said student Derek Pierce, 18. "(I'm voting) for either (Barack) Obama or (Republican hopeful Sen. John) McCain. They both have good points and bad points. I'm torn between the more important issues ... gay marriage, what to do about illegal immigrants and the war in Iraq."
Chan said Salvo's cafeteria table helped her remember it was time to register.
"I kind of forgot," she said. "Now that we have an opportunity in our school (to register) and not go to City Hall, I'm doing it."
Salvo said he gives students a registration form and answers questions about voting. He also directs them to the wards and precincts in which they can vote.
Salvo also submits absentee ballots for students going off to different colleges and universities. He then will send out a letter to their homes explaining the process of where to vote in that situation.
One aspect that Salvo said he finds most rewarding about the registration process is seeing former students from the Kennedy Middle School.
"It's kind of enjoyable seeing the students after four years," Salvo said. "It's gratifying seeing how they've matured, how they've grown up and how they've changed."
City Clerk Russ Malone is director of elections for the city. Malone said that he will take the student's registration forms, along with any other recently registered voters, and enter them into a Central Voter Registration System, a machine that helps city officials tally the votes.
"Since we've been using the CVR machines, it's a scanner rather than a manual machine, it has worked out tremendously," Malone said. "We really love the machine. We've got a paper trail on any information that we'd need in a recount. It's readily accessible."
If the students are 17, city officials will hold the registration and enter them into the system once they turn 18, Malone said.
Malone said this year's crop of new voters are special because of the upcoming presidential election.
"I think there's an excitement in the air for young voters," Malone said. "It's because of the tremendous need for change and tremendous willingness of the candidates to make change. I see a great generation here."
Jeff Gilbride can be reached at 781-398-8005 or jgilbrid@cnc.com
