West Des Moines Valley Hosts Rock the Caucus

As Valley High School students make their soap-box speeches to the student body, presidential contenders Ron Paul and Michele Bachmann will bring their real-life campaigns to Rock the Caucus Tuesday morning in the school’s gymnasium.

Rock the Caucus is part of Rock the Vote, an initiative founded 20 years ago to increase young people’s participation in elections and help empower them to work for political and social change. KISS 107.5 FM will broadcast from the gymnasium as part of a partnership with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office at the event from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesday.

“The youth vote is very important, and it’s important that they get involved. By casting a vote, it means you have some skin in the game.”

Rock the Caucus represents a homecoming of sorts for Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, a 1997 graduate of Valley High School. He and Rock the Vote founder Heather Smith were interviewed by National Public Radio earlier this year about Schultz’s proposal that voters present a photo identification before receiving a ballot. Rock the Vote opposes such a requirement, arguing it disenfranchises voters.

Though on different sides of that issue, they agreed that the Iowa caucuses presented a unique opportunity to engage students in real-life civics and the importance of voting, Schultz said.

“It’s how we exercise our freedom and rights,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to teach these kids about their responsibilities and hopefully get them excited about the experience.”

Schultz said he chose Valley for the Rock the Caucus event not because it’s his high school alma mater, but because it’s the largest high school in Iowa and more students can be exposed to the Rock the Caucus message.

About 600 of the Valley students will be eligible to participate in the caucuses because they’ll have reached their 18th birthdays in time to vote in the general election this fall.

In addition to candidate speeches by Paul and Bachmann, Valley seniors Laney Abrahamson, Jasmine Au, Ben Weinberg and Maddy Baker will make quick, one-minute stump speeches to their classmates about three things they’d like to see changed about the school’s culture.

Assistant Principal David Maxwell said he’s using his full powers of persuasion to convince one of them to develop platforms around a no-grinding policy at school dances, substance abuse and related discipline policies, and bullying.

He calls Rock the Caucuses a springboard for a teaching moment, but said it’s up to the students to come up with their own platforms.

“It will be interesting to see what they come up with,” Maxwell said. “They have one minute to share their thoughts, focus the argument.”

Like Schultz, he said Rock the Caucuses provides students “great exposure to their role as participants in a representative democracy and how important their voice is.

Schultz said officials from the Secretary of State’s office and Rock the Vote are in conversations about a long-term partnership. “It would be a great thing for the students, and something we could take to all high schools,” he said.

The education is critical, Schultz said, because as a bloc, “young people don’t vote.”

“The youth vote is very important, and it’s important that they get involved,” he said. “By casting a vote, it means you have some skin in the game.”


What: Rock the Caucus Assembly.
When: Tuesday, Jan. 3, 9:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Where: Valley High School Gym, 3650 Woodland Ave, West Des Moines
Speakers: Rock the Vote President Heather Smith, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Texas Congressman Ron Paul and student “candidates” from Valley High School.