SOUTH DEERFIELD — Ahead of this year’s presidential election, Frontier Regional School seniors taking a government studies and politics class got to talk about voting rights and the state of the nation’s democracy with a former appointee to one of the highest offices in the land.

Students gathered in the school’s library and media center to have a virtual discussion with former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who video called in from Washington D.C. Holder spoke about the continuing fight for voting rights, his experience in the office and how young folks, like Frontier’s students, will be driving the future of the United States.

“People tend to think the struggle of voting rights really began during the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, but the reality is, Americans have been fighting for the right to vote since we have become a nation,” Holder said, tracing the fight from white men who didn’t own property in the nation’s early days to the 20th-century women’s suffrage and civil rights movements, among others. “You should not think that you’re too young. … Our social movements in this country, if you look at it, have always been led by young people.”

Holder served as the 82nd U.S. attorney general from February 2009 to April 2015 and was the first African American to hold the office. During his tenure, he oversaw a broad range of legal issues, including national security, criminal justice and regulatory enforcement. He currently serves as senior counsel at Washington D.C.-based law firm Covington & Burling and is also chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which advocates for fair redistricting for federal elections.

Frontier teacher Laura Moore invited Holder to speak as a way to drive home the points of her Advanced Placement (AP) government and politics class, while also providing an opportunity to tap into a person who has so much first-hand knowledge of recent and current events.

“With everything going on in the country, it’s so super important,” Moore said of bringing in speakers like Holder to talk about civic duties and Americans’ rights. “I just think it’s such a great opportunity.”

On top of some questions prompted by Moore, students were also encouraged to come up with questions to ask the former attorney general.

Kate Demaio, who will be participating in her first election later this year, said it was great to hear from someone who was in such a high level of government, especially one who has the “first-hand look” at many of the major policies and decisions that have happened as she’s grown up.

“It was really impactful how he was speaking about how nobody is too young to get involved and to be in an impactful position for our country,” Demaio said. “I’m going to be voting soon, so it’s really powerful to see the impact I am able to have.”

Other topics Holder touched on include the use of the filibuster in the U.S. Senate to hold up votes that the vast majority of Americans support; gerrymandering and how it dilutes the power of minorities, particularly large blocs of Black voters; and the fragility of democracy.

Patrice Moriarty, the student who prompted the question about the filibuster, said the chance to talk to Holder was a great opportunity to meet a political figure whose role extends far beyond the borders of Massachusetts.

Fellow student Una Millette said Holder’s talk was a timely lesson for the class and a good reminder about the importance of voting.

“We’re hearing so much in the news about the primaries starting up and talking about how important it is to vote was really inspirational,” Millette said. “I think it was a really good experience.”

Later in the year, students may also read Holder’s 2022 book “Our Unfinished March,” which discusses the history of voting in the U.S. and how the voting rights of America are “under siege.”

“The most important issue confronting this nation right now is the state of our democracy,” Holder said. “The biggest takeaway was to make sure that people understood that the battle we’re now facing is not new to this nation. It’s one that we’ve confronted in the past and we have been successful in the past in making our democracy better … and we can do the same in the 21st century.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.