The League of Women Voters of Deschutes County (LWVDC) announced Gabby Bale of Redmond High School as the winner of the 2022 Y-Essay Contest.
LWVDC initiated the Y-Essay Contest this year, open to all high school seniors in Deschutes County. The contest invited seniors to submit an original essay that answered the question “Why Vote?” Essays were blind judged by Deschutes County community members, including members of the media and educators. Once read each essay was assigned a score using a rubric and scoring tool created by the LWVDC Y-Essay Contest team.
Gabby Bale, a senior student at Redmond High School, is the winner of the 2022 LWVDC Y-Essay. As the essay winner, Gabby received an award certificate and a check for $500.
LWVDC received several essays with strong messages about the responsibility of citizens to be informed voters. Gabby’s essay was particularly persuasive as she focused on the importance of individual votes, collectively, as essential for citizen participation in how our country is run. Gabby’s essay can be read on our website, https://lwvdeschutes.org.
The League of Women Voters of Deschutes County would like to thank the volunteer judging panel, those who donated to the Y-Essay contest prize fund, and the organizations that shared this contest with Deschutes County seniors. LWVDC looks forward to conducting the Y-Essay contest annually as a way to engage youth and remind students that their voices are an important part of the democratic process.