Plato said one of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is being governed by your inferiors.
With this quote in mind, Rep. Greg Martin (R-Hamilton County) has voted in every general election and runoff election since he first cast his ballot for Ronald Reagan in 1984 at the age of 21, he says.
“I wasn’t politically engaged when I was in high school, but the political process did capture my attention as I became an adult,” adds Martin, a Realtor who represents district 26 in Tennessee’s General Assembly.
Martin now hopes to inspire youth to become politically involved at an even younger age than he did. To engage local high school juniors and seniors as they approach the age when they’ll be able to vote (18), Martin will be conducting a series of video calls with the students to inform them of what’s taking place in the assembly.
“Students are the future of this state,” Martin says. “They deserve to know what’s happening in Nashville. My goal is to engage them with their government in real time and get them excited about the Tennessee’s direction as they prepare to finish school and enter college or the workforce.”
The student-oriented calls will include 11th and 12th graders from public and private schools in Hamilton County’s 26th district, which includes parts of Sale Creek, the unincorporated area of Soddy-Daisy, Hixson, Riverview, Harrison, Lupton City, North Shore, Lakesite and downtown Chattanooga.
The students’ parents and teachers will be welcome to take part as well.
The first call will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 30, at 5 p.m. Participants can register by emailing Martin’s office at [email protected].
The video discussions will center around current events, civics, proposed legislation and civility in politics. During the Jan. 30 call, Martin will cover the basics of the legislative process, including how a bill becomes a law. He’ll present legislation he’s introduced as an example.
“I’ve submitted a bill to eliminate taxes on diapers, formula and wipes for children,” he says. “So, I’ll use that proposal to explain how a bill works its way through the process.”
Martin has invited various leaders from across the state to join him during these discussions, including Secretary of State Tre Hargett.
“Secretary Hargett plans to talk about our voting laws and voter integrity. He’s the chief enforcement officer of Tennessee’s election laws, so having him discuss these topics during an election year should be of interest to the students,” he says.
Martin intends the calls to be conversations among the participants rather than a lecture he delivers from his office at home or in Nashville, he adds. Students who join the video sessions will be able to ask questions, offer their perspective, and engage each other.
“I want these calls to be about the things that are important to them. I’m not going to deliver a monologue; I’m going to moderate a dialogue.”
This freedom of discussion will come with two stipulations, says the Republican representative – the conversations must remain nonpartisan and focus on state issues rather than national hot button topics like border security.
However, this proviso doesn’t mean Martin won’t welcome tough questions from his future constituents.
“I want them to ask hard questions, but I also want to keep the conversation civil,” Martin says. “Political civility means a great deal to me. Our republic is not sustainable without Americans being able to have conversations about divisive things, but in a nice way.
“Not everyone who disagrees with you is your enemy. They might be the person who’s fighting communists on our shores one day.”
Martin was inspired to host the video calls during a conversation with Tennessee County Commissioner Association Executive Director Charlie Curtiss. As Martin spoke with Curtiss, the retired legislator said he’d do more to connect young people to the political process if he served again, including hosting discussions on Zoom. Martin liked the idea.
“I thought, ‘What a great way to engage young people in the political process.’ So, we’re going to try it and see what happens.”
Martin’s video calls will join a broader effort in Tennessee to equip students with the foundational knowledge they need for civic life.
High school students in the state must now pass a U.S. civics test to earn a diploma, Martin notes, and legislation that created the Institute of American Civics at the Baker School for Public Policy and Public Affairs in Knoxville received strong bipartisan backing in the 112th Tennessee General Assembly.
Moreover, several Hamilton County schools have received good marks for their teaching of U.S. history and civics. Local high schools that received the Governor’s Civics Seal for the 2022-23 school year included Central High, Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences, Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, East Ridge High, Lookout Valley High, Red Bank High, Sale Creek High, Sequoyah High, Signal Mountain High, Soddy Daisy High, The Howard School and Tyner Academy.
Even as legislators bask in the light of this progress, Martin says the government can do only so much to prepare young people to carry the torch of civic responsibility forward. As a result, the bulk of that duty rests with the adults at home.
“All the government is ever going to be able to do is hit a single. However, parents and grandparents can hit a home run. More than anyone else, they’re the ones who can ensure their children understand how this great country works and how they have an obligation to be engaged in our grand republic.”