SPRINGDALE — Daniel Forsberg didn’t expect to have as many choices to make as he did when he went to vote Tuesday.

“Now that it’s done, I’m glad my voice was heard on so many things,” he said.

Forsberg, who turned 18 last month, was one of 12 Springdale High School students who boarded a bus and traveled from their school to Parsons Stadium, an early voting site where they cast their first votes.

Lynn Waldren, chairman of Springdale High’s Social Studies Department, organized the trip. It was the first time the school had tried such a thing.

“Some of these students might not have voted otherwise,” Waldren said, watching from a distance as the students stood in front of electronic voting machines. “This way they can come with their peers and feel a little more comfortable doing it. Hopefully, this won’t be the last time. Hopefully, this will be a lifelong thing for them.”

After the students finished voting, Waldren shook their hands outside the polling place and encouraged them to continue exercising their right to vote.

Pete Joenks, Springdale High principal, accompanied students on the trip. He took the opportunity to cast his own ballot.

Most students weren’t willing to divulge for whom they voted, but Forsberg was proud to say he voted for Mitt Romney for president. The senior said he could see himself running for office someday, perhaps even for governor.

Other students on the bus were less politically engaged but still enthusiastic about voting.

Jenny Ramsey said she was interested in the races for City Council. She knows several people who are running and wants to see the condition of downtown improved.

“I like knowing a small portion of my opinion matters,” Ramsey said.

She said without the school-sponsored bus trip she probably wouldn’t have had time to vote.

“I felt like this was an opportunity I had to take,” she said.

Peggy Sue Standridge, another student, wore an Army cap and a scarf resembling the American flag in her hair. She said the statewide ballot issue concerning medical marijuana interested her.

“It’s got a lot of pros and cons,” Standridge said about the issue.

Jennifer Price, Washington County election coordinator, addressed students before they got off the bus at Parsons Stadium. She informed them they’d be seeing a six-page ballot, but they didn’t have to cast votes on every question. She also instructed them not to talk about anything political while inside the polling place.

“That would be considered electioneering,” Price said, which is not allowed inside a polling place.

Price said the county has seen about 2,000 voters per day since early voting began Oct. 22. Inside, however, there was no line waiting to vote. With 15 machines available, all the students finished voting within 15 minutes.

Waldren said he hopes to make the bus trips to polling places a tradition at Springdale High and that more students will participate in future trips.

“What’s more American than coming to vote?” he said.