JOLIET -- As throngs of commuters hurried down the stairs at Joliet's Union Station, Alejandra Medina, 14, asked them a question.

"Are you registered to vote?" she asked as people rushed by her and two classmates from Joliet Central High School on a recent night.

» Click to enlarge image Joliet Central students (from left) Arley Castillo, Rafael Escalera and Alejandra Medina discuss the voter registration process Friday with John Falaris, committeeman for the Democratic Organization of Troy Township, at Union Station in Joliet.
(Catherine Ann Velasco/ Herald News staff)

Many nodded. One man said, "Absolutely." Another man, who said he worked for Wrigley, gave them a pack of gum.

In an hour, Alejandra and her classmates, Arely Castillo, and Rafael Escalera, both 14, signed up eight people to register to vote. The form will be mailed to the Will County clerk's office to finish the process.

"When they are running we leave them alone," Arely said. "They are in a rush."

The girls are two of 28 teen volunteers at Joliet Central and Joliet West high schools, registering people via the New Americans Democracy Project through The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.

Alejandra, Arely and Rafael go to stores, festivals, parades, the train station and door to door to get people to register. Their question is simple. They don't take sides or tell people who they think will win. They stay nonpartisan. The goal is to get people registered so they can vote.

"If no one votes, there is not going to be a change. Their vote may be the one. If you don't vote, you might ask, 'What if?'" Alejandra said.

When asked who they think will win, they answer, "It's a pretty close race," she said.

The teens worked with The Spanish Center and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church to register 600 people in the Joliet area. They are now striving to register 200 more voters by Tuesday.

The project reached its goal to register 20,000 new voters and now hopes to get 50,000 immigrant voters to the polls. The project is a nonpartisan civic engagement program that seeks to impact immigrant-related issues.

The focus is to get out the vote in 20 immigrant communities that traditionally don't get out to vote, including Joliet, Aurora, Cicero and Waukegan.

Another goal is to get teens like Alejandra, Arely and Rafael into politics at an early age.

Research shows if teens get involved in the political process between ages 14 and 21, they are more likely to vote in every single election, said Dee Lopez, campaign organizer.

"We are trying to build leaders in the community. Doing this will help them become leaders," Lopez said.

Alberto Filipponi, district director of social science and ESL/bilingual for Joliet Township High School District, said it is a worthy cause.

"When I was approached by the New Americans Democracy Project, I felt that this was an important cause for not only our students, but our country. Part of our job at JT is to teach civic responsibility and this program is a great way to do that," he said.

John Falaris, committeeman for Democratic Organization of Troy Township, stopped to thank them as he left the train station.

"We really appreciate the work you are doing," he said. "Don't forget to tell people to vote early. The polls will be packed. It's an election of change."

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