Making Time to Vote
The mission of the Wake County Public School System is to “educate each student to be a responsible and productive citizen who can effectively manage future challenges.” One of the greatest American responsibilities is to engage in civic life through the process of voting. Students may have many classroom opportunities for participatory decision making, but it is important to help connect classroom learning to real-world experiences.
Since 1996, Kids Voting has provided thousands of Wake County students the opportunity to experience the election process by casting a Kids Voting ballot at their parents’ polling site. In an effort to allow the Kids Voting experience to reach a greater number of our students, many schools will provide an opportunity to cast a school day ballot.
Since it is a presidential election year, on Saturday, September 13, Kids Voting NC Wake County, in partnership with the NC Museum of History, conducted a candidates’ forum. Questions from middle and high school students were presented to candidates. Elementary students participated in presentations, book reviews, and a variety of engaging hands-on civic and patriotic activities in the Museum lobby.
In addition to the voting opportunity, Kids Voting NC Wake County provides materials and resources for teaching civic responsibility to each school. You can help your child make a deeper real world connection to the Kids Voting process by making the voting process a part of your conversations at home. For additional information about Kids Voting, please visit: www.kidsvotingwake.org