Democracy champions: Exeter and Portsmouth students receive Civic Leadership Award
EXETER — Exeter High School senior Madi Paige and Portsmouth High School junior Miles Borne received Civic Leadership Awards at the recent Coalition for Open Democracy annual meeting.
It was a dual award evening for the Paige family as state Rep. Mark Paige, D-Exeter, received the Democracy Champion award.
The Granny D Award for Service went to long-time Open Democracy member Carol Wyndham, who started her efforts driving Granny D (the late Doris Haddock) to events.
At the age of 88, Doris Haddock walked across the country and made other walks to raise awareness of the influence of money in our political process and advocated for more campaign contribution constraints. Haddock’s walks led to more walks and activities that evolved into the Coalition for Open Democracy and Open Democracy Action (the group that can be more engaged in legislation).
“With our amazing group of dedicated advocates, there is never a shortage of deserving potential award winners, but our four awardees went above and beyond in their efforts to achieve a multigenerational democracy," said Open Democracy Executive Director Olivia Zink.
Many in New Hampshire know Wyndham for her “Power of One” stage series that has educated thousands of people about what Granny D accomplished. The Granny D Award recognizes decades of personal and professional commitment to expand the vision, wisdom, and advocacy of Granny D in encouraging civic participation in our Democracy
Rep. Paige was awarded the Democracy Champion award in recognition of his dedication to protecting democracy in the Granite State through his efforts to modernize our election system, instruct youth in voter registration, and increase voting accessibility.
Sam Cassin who has been leading the statewide high school voter registration program for Open Democracy introduced the Civic Leadership Awards.
“This award is provided in recognition of high standards of civic responsibility, and to bring public attention to their commitment and courage in strengthening democracy, in part, by organizing voter registration drives involving their peers, school, and community,” he said.
While the program has registered more than 500 students this spring and has additional drives planned for the fall, Paige and Borne stood out this spring.
In Exeter, Paige fought through initial resistance, waning cooperation, and a fire drill scheduled in the middle of the voter drive. Her perseverance and steady hand were a great example of overcoming obstacles and already has a rising senior ready to organize for Exeter in 2025. This fall, Paige will be attending the University of Rochester and will be playing softball for the YellowJackets.
In Portsmouth, Borne’s drive registered 64 students, the most in the state. As the Student Senate president, Borne is developing a process document that he will use this coming year as he shepherds a group of rising juniors to coordinate for his senior class next year. Borne has a busy civic summer planned as he is a Rotary Youth Leadership councilor, competing in a national debate tournament, and participating in climate change and civic innovation workshops at the University of Chicago and UCLA, respectively. Borne will finish his summer at the Democratic National Convention as a New Hampshire student page.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter and Portsmouth High School students honored by Open Democracy
