New driver’s license system feels like elder abuse
Attempts to schedule an appointment to renew my driver’s license have been an exercise in futility at the Naperville facility thus far.
The Naperville location momentarily appears on the website, but the “no appointments available” message appears the minute you open it. You’re told to check again early tomorrow morning, when it may appear again.
Considering those 75 and older are required to take a road test, it would seem logical to provide special accomodations. I am 84, which means I need to take a road this year, next year and every year thereafter — it’s an annual affair.
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The way the current system is functioning — if it can be described as functioning — seems abusive to the elderly considering the frequency with which we are required to take the road test.
Vincent Romanco, Naperville
Some 17-year-olds can legally vote so get the word out
In light of National Voter Registration Day, I’ve begun to reconsider the romanticization with which we view the age 18.
Whether characterized by the prestige of legally being an adult or the dissolution of restrictions over rights such as voting, age 18 is identified as one of the biggest milestones of an individual’s life.
However, high school students in the state of Illinois, like myself and my peers, don’t realize the age 17 can be just as glamorous. How? Because in the state of Illinois, you don’t necessarily have to be 18 in order to vote.
In 2013, the 98th General Assembly passed a bill that said a 17-year-old should be allowed to vote in a primary election if they will be 18 by the time the general election occurs. With 45 House sponsors, six Senate sponsors and almost 100 witness slips from high school students, namely those who attend Adlai S. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire and my high school, Waubonsie Valley in Aurora, the legislation made 17-year-olds officially eligible to vote in primary elections.
The problem is publicity about the rule change has been minimal since it was established 10 years ago. It is very important that 17-year-olds in the state of Illinois take advantage of this opportunity rather becoming part of an unintended apathetic voter demographic.
If you are reading this and you are 17 years old or you’re a parent or close relative of a 17-year-old to whom this law would apply, it is your responsibility to help them contribute to the upcoming election and exercise their power in democracy.
I, myself, will be unable to vote in next year’s primary election or general election as I will not be 18 by the time of the general election. While I find it frustrating to not be able to exercise my vote just yet, I am eager to see an influx of teens take advantage of the privilege and make ethical civic decisions on behalf of our generation and for the future of us all.
Sanvi Maganti, Naperville
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