Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Schools

Kids go inside the voting booth

Could the big question on the playground next month be: " Who'd you vote for for governor?"

By MARYAN PELLAND
Published October 19, 2006

In Pasco County in 2004, more than 15,000 "voters" turned out the first time school-age children had the opportunity to cast votes and be counted in a national election.

Now "Kids Voting Tampa Bay" has come to Hernando County, where nearly 30,000 students are eligible to vote.

Kids Voting Tampa Bay, an affiliate of Kids Voting USA, now reaches out to about 400,000 students across the bay area.

KVTB supplies free educational curriculum based on the election process.

Teachers can use these tools to educate students and help them make decisions about candidates and issues. Then they can exercise the privilege of voting on Election Day.

Kid voters can cast their ballots at any of nine selected regular polling locations or participate in early voting at the courthouse in Brooksville.

KVTB Executive Director Michelle Card said, "Student voters will find special ballots and voting booths just for them. There are volunteers at the nine polls to help explain the process. It's easy, exciting. Anyone can do it."

And if you think politics don't affect the everyday lives of students, reconsider that. In recent years, federal and state laws changed the way students use video games, music and cell phones.

Laws were enacted to protect children from predators and to make the Internet safer. The political system sent the nation to war and helped people recover from major hurricanes.

In this nation, where 60 percent voter turnout in a national election can be seen as the "barnburner," Card believes teaching the process to children early in life is urgent.

Statistically, most other countries that vote see turnouts between 85 and 95 percent. The highest national turnout in the United States since 1946 was 60.8 percent in 1968.

Typical numbers in national elections in the United States fall between 50 and 55 percent. Recent numbers sagged below 50 percent with nonpresidential elections drawing as few as 34 percent of the voters. Card and her two staff members, Erica Petramala and Bobby Fox, want to change that.

"My hopeful intention is that my kids understand the value of voting and hold it dear to them for life," said Card, the mother of three, ages 10 to 14. "Instilling a sense of responsibility for lifetime voters is exactly why we do this curriculum."

Though student votes can't be counted in official totals, they are counted by KVTB and results are posted on the Web site. The idea is for those totals to spark interest and discussions in schools all around Hernando.

Card said when the St. Petersburg Times approached her to organize and direct a new chapter of Kids Voting, she was intrigued. People ages 18 to 24 come out to vote in the lowest numbers and Card wants to "get them young and change all that."

They decided to start with Pasco County. Teachers were thrilled with educational tools that could actually demonstrate ideas behind civic responsibility.

This year Hernando County's Chocachatti Elementary and Parrott Middle School have already adopted the program and started using it. More schools are asking about it every day, Card says.

Kids who vote love it, according to Card. It's a very adultlike process.

And while voting is fun, some kids find volunteering is more fun. Volunteers work at polling places handing out ballots, showing kids where to vote and awarding "I voted" stickers to fellow students.

Card's children volunteered in the last election and had a terrific time helping other students. The organization is looking for volunteers for this election - another opportunity for school-age children to get involved.

Those who help out not only accumulate community service hours, they'll receive a T-shirt commemorating their generosity. Election Day volunteers can register with KVTB up to the first week in November. Contact the group through its Web site www.kvtb.org.

FAST FACTS

Voting is important

Find out more about voting and its importance to students and young people at these Web sites:

- www.pbskids.org/democracy/educators/whyvote.html   

- www.rockthevote.com/is_whyvote.php

- www.kvtb.org  

- www.kidsvotingusa.org

[Last modified October 19, 2006, 06:51:49]