THE LOOP (WBBM Newsradio) -- That line of hundreds of young people stretched along State Street Thursday morning was not for concert tickets ... but for voting.
Students from Pritzker College Prep and Rauner College Prep High Schools were the first in line at the city's voter supersite, 137 S. State St., to take part in Chicago Votes' "Parade To The Polls" young voter event.
"I'm excited!" said Chicago Votes leader Camille Williams before leading students through the front door of the storefront supersite. "There's ten different schools coming from all corners of the city."
Chicago Votes has led these parades for years as a way to get young people energized about the political process, and to register them to vote.
One of the first teens to drop off their ballot was Jayden Rivera, who attends Pritzker College Prep.
"I want to make sure my community's good, I want to make sure my family's fine, I want to make sure we're all good," Rivera said about his motivation for voting, adding that social media made it easy to research the candidates and issues that resonated with him: "All of the people I'm voting for are on social media, they're showing what they're advocating for."
When asked how he felt after dropping off his ballot, Rivera said simply: "That ... I'm gonna be part of that change."
Organizers say they're expecting to lead as many as 1,000 teenagers through the supersite over the next two days.