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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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