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16 October 2012
By Julie Kendrick
Casey Byers is now a smart and savvy
12 year old, but she still remembers four
years ago, when she was just a wide-eyed
little kid, and she got to vote in a presiden-
tial election for the very first time. “Voting
has always been a big deal in my family,
and I remember always going along with
my parents in the morning before school to
watch them vote. That year, they told me
I’d be able to cast my own ballot, and I
remember thinking it was so cool that I got
to choose how I wanted to vote all by
myself. I had some ideas before we got
there, but I waited until I read all the
Vote young, Vote foreVer
How Kids Voting
hopes to build a
better electorate,
starting with our
youngest citizens
names on the kids ballot before I made my
decision. And then I got a sticker, just like
the grownups, which I think was the best
part for me back then,” says Byers, who
lives in Minneapolis and is now a seventh
grader at Breck.
Her experience of a kids-only election
was replicated in polling places nation-
wide. The force behind this novel idea is
Kids Voting, a community-based
nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with
affiliates in Minnesota and 18 other states.
After tabulating a record 1.8 million kid
votes in 2008, volunteers across the
country are gearing up for a bigger-than
ever election season, with a goal of
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October 2012 17
breaking the two million kid-vote mark.
At schools and polling places, kids will
have an authentic election experience that
allows them to complete a ballot with the
same slate of candidates and issues as
adult voters, and to have those ballots
electronically tabulated and reported on
Kids Voting websites. Judy Farmer, retired
director of the Minneapolis Public
Schools Board of Education, is the
current board president of Kids Voting
Minneapolis. She says, “There’s a great
deal of power for a child in casting a
ballot right alongside mom or dad. It’s a
simple act, but it takes the mystery out of
the voting process and gives a child a
sense of pride, accomplishment, and
responsibility. Kids grow up. That’s why
our slogan is ‘Vote Young, Vote Forever.’”
Farmer, who has worked on issues of
civic engagement most of her adult life,
is adamant about the impact that the
voting experience has for young people.
“Never underestimate the power of one
vote,” she says, “even if the person
casting it is a little kid!”
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18 October 2012
Family-focused holiday?The organization has its origins, surpris-
ingly enough, in Central America. In 1988,
three Arizona businessmen traveled to
Costa Rica on a fishing trip. Their visit
coincided with a national election, and on
election day, they noticed family groups,
formally dressed, making their way to
polling stations for what seemed to be
combination of democracy-in-action and
family-focused-holiday. The men did some
research and discovered that Costa Rican
voter turnout averages around 90 percent.
(Minnesota currently leads the United
States’ turnout rate at around 55 percent,
by contrast.) The men had a moment of
inspiration. What if they could encourage
American families to go to the polls
together, talk about voting with their kids,
and encourage the nation’s future voters
to be as excited about the democratic
process as the children in Costa Rica
seemed to be? With that goal in mind,
they created the nonprofit Kids Voting
USA organization.
So, when November 6 rolls around this
year, why should you make it a point to
bring your kids along? According to
Rachel Willis, executive director of Kids
Voting USA, “It’s all about creating habits
surrounding civic engagement, and under-
standing the steps leading up to a
vote—registering, researching issues and
candidates, finding your assigned polling
place, even interacting with poll workers.
Children need to have you model the how
and why of voting,” she says, and adds
that Kids Voting participation packs an
extra patriotic punch into that equation:
Ballot issues and polling places
Two ballot measures have been certified for the 2012 ballot in the state of Minnesota. Both are legislatively-referred constitutional amendments (LRCA).
The first is the Marriage Amendment, which would ban same-sex marriage in this state. The second is the Voter Identification Amendment, which would require people to present photo identification to vote. Both issues are complicated and you should have all pertinent facts in front of you should your child ask for your opinion on either of these amendments. If you’d like short descriptions, background, support, and arguments for both, go to tinyurl.com/92nts2c.
If you are new to Minnesota or just new to your neighborhood and need information on where to vote, go to pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us. You will be asked to punch in your address and zip code. You will be linked to your polling place and can also see a list of candidates, a sample ballot for your county and city, and get a map to the polling place. —Kathleen Stoehr
While the votes don’t count toward the 2012 election, the benefits of decision-making have a tremendous impact on children.
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“Participating in their own voting
experience can cement kids’ commitment
to becoming active and engaged citizens
someday,” she says.
The Kids Voting concept has received
support from politicians of all party
affiliations. One especially strong propo-
nent has been Minnesota Secretary of
State Mark Ritchie, who says, “Democ-
racy must be taught to each new genera-
tion to keep Minnesota number one in the
nation for voter turnout and civic
engagement. Parents must teach their
children the importance of being involved
in our communities and government. I
strongly encourage parents to bring their
children with them to their polling place
on Election Day to observe first-hand the
process of voting.”
And where will Casey Byers be on
Election Day this year? “I absolutely plan
to vote,” says the middle-schooler. “And
I’m bringing along my baby sister, Parker.
She’s eight, and she’s really excited about
getting a sticker.” •
CiviCs for small fry
• Discusstheprocessofvotingwithyourchildren.Talkaboutyourowndecision-makingprocess,includingwhatresearchyoudotobeaninformedvoter.Talkaboutwhyyouvote,andwhathappensasaresultofelections.
• Remember,kidspickuponeverything,soputasideanypoliticalrancororcynicism,andfocusinsteadonthepositiveaspectsoflivinginademocracy.
• Inviteyourchildrentoaccompanyyou,evenifitcreatesmorecomplicationsinaschedulethat’salreadycrazy-busy.Manyadultstodaystillremembertheexperienceofgoingtothepollswiththeirparents.
• Ifyou’dliketovolunteeratalocalpollingplacetohelpkidshaveanauthenticelectionexperience,KidsVotingMinneapolisneedsvolunteersage16andolderfortwo-hourshiftsonelectiondayafternoonandevening.ContactJudyFarmeratjudylfarmer@gmail.com.
for more information: kidsvotingminneapolis.comkidsvotingstpaul.com
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