While many high school students experience politics from the sidelines, about 30 Columbia High School students spent this fall knocking on doors, talking with voters, and organizing alongside political groups across New Jersey.
Through SOMA Youth in Action, a student-led political organizing initiative, Columbia students canvassed weekly for Rebecca Bennett’s Congressional campaign in New Jersey’s 7th District, one of the most competitive races in the country, in which Bennett unseated incumbent Tom Kean Jr. Over the course of the campaign, they knocked on more than 2,000 doors through Ground Truth canvassing and get-out-the-vote efforts, building partnerships with college Democrats chapters and youth organizations throughout the state.
Troy Stevenson-House founded SOMA Youth in Action as a committee of SOMA Action, a local grassroots progressive political organization, and co-chairs it with Aravella Espinosa and Leila Springer. He said its mission is to give CHS students who want to pursue politics, or who would simply benefit from being more involved in local politics and organizing, a chance to make a difference.
Although the 7th District does not include South Orange or Maplewood, students recognized that its representative’s decisions could still affect their futures. With healthcare and the affordability of higher education among their top concerns, they decided to organize around the competitive race.
“I saw a chance to organize around a candidate who, for one, as a scholarship recipient herself, is committed to ensuring affordability in education,” Stevenson-House said. “Something we have to worry about in the near future.”
The group grew out of Stevenson-House’s work with SOMA Action, with which he helped organize a No Kings protest last year. There, Allison Posner, one of SOMA Action’s co-presidents, “expressed that she appreciated the presence of young people there,” Stevenson-House said. “That’s when I asked her if it was possible to have official youth representation within SOMA Action.”
“From our first meeting, I was impressed with Troy and his fellow students on their ideas for engaging their peers, their willingness to do the hard work of organizing and their optimism,” Posner said. “The SOMA Youth in Action committee consistently blew us away with the number of passionate activists that came to our No Kings events, including the large turnout for our canvasses supporting Rebecca Bennett in NJ-7. The students’ fearlessness with door knocking allowed them to reach so many more voters, from all parties, which was a driving force in successfully flipping that seat.”
Stevenson-House said Posner introduced him to Salma Osman, president of Seton Hall University Democrats, who in turn introduced the students to Ground Truth canvassing.
At first, SOMA Youth in Action relied heavily on Seton Hall Democrats and other organizers for transportation and logistics, since the students were new to hosting canvassing events. As the school year progressed, he said, they grew more confident, running their own events and building partnerships with Yale, Princeton and Rutgers Democrats in the weekend before the midterms. Stevenson-House said he applied what he learned from watching Osman organize volunteers to the events he later ran with his co-chairs.
One of the group’s most significant collaborations took place in Rahway over the summer. Stevenson-House, Osman and representatives of other student democratic organizations planned a joint canvassing event together. They mapped out routes for each group and a speaker program featuring Bennett. Volunteers knocked on more than 700 doors.
“It showed us how by collaborating we could maximize our impact among youth-led organizations,” Stevenson-House said.
SOMA Youth in Action emphasized deep canvassing, an approach that prioritizes authentic conversations with voters over rehearsed talking points. Its main tool was Ground Truth, an experimental style of canvassing built on open dialogue rather than a script. Volunteers open by asking voters, “Do you feel this country is going in the right or wrong direction, and why?” They then follow up with, “What is impacting your family the most?” Students found it the most effective approach they used.
“People can tell when you’re just regurgitating talking points versus when you’re well researched and can be spontaneous in your conversations,” Stevenson-House said.
At the doors, students met voters with a wide range of views. Some were firmly committed, while others were undecided or unfamiliar with the candidates’ records.
“We met just as many people who were confused, undecided, or unfamiliar with both Rebecca Bennett’s and Tom Kean’s records in public service, who we talked to for upwards of 30 minutes before they eventually changed their minds,” Stevenson-House said.
The experience also challenged assumptions about young people in politics. Stevenson-House said many adults see high school students as naive, even when they have put significant time into researching candidates and policy.
He described preparing for the week of the election: “At our canvassing the week of the election, we talked about a specific talking point, Rebecca Bennett’s work on healthcare insurance, for 20 minutes on the ride to Bridgewater. We would bring up counterarguments and ask questions that we researched on our phones.”
Stevenson-House believes direct participation helps students build confidence in their knowledge and their ability to contribute.
“Confidence comes with experience,” he said. “I think the first step is hard, but what I’ve observed in myself and my fellow canvassers is that as you continue to have conversations, you become more confident in your knowledge of politics and your place in political spaces.”
Speaking directly with voters also gave many students a stronger sense of political efficacy. After the election, Stevenson-House said, the students he canvassed with felt more responsible for the outcome. Having a first 20-minute conversation with a stranger who changes their mind, he said, makes you realize that “your work will change the count of the votes.”
SOMA Youth in Action hopes to continue beyond a single election cycle. The organization’s plans include continuing to canvas while also “creating voter guides for young voters and lobbying for legislative initiatives we’re passionate about.”
“Now that Democrats have won a majority in both chambers, it’s important we hold them accountable to delivering on their promises and creating a better future for us,” Stevenson-House said.
For the group, the goal is larger than any one candidate or election: giving high school students the experience, resources, and confidence to know they don’t have to wait until they can vote to help shape their communities.
Celia Mann is an 12th grade student at Columbia High School who is working as a paid freelancer with Village Green through a grant from the NJ Civic Information Consortium.
