‘Voting for Great Futures’ Emphasizes Civic Responsibility
To follow the live results of student voting, click here.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Their votes may not count yet, but someday soon the members of the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence will indeed make their presence known at the polls. The Voting for Great Futures – Kids Vote 2020 initiative will ensure that every kid in the USD 497 schools will get the opportunity to vote on November 3.
The threat of COVID-19 has impacted Americans’ voting plans all over the country, and it’s no different with this year’s youth ballot. Rather than polling sites being set up inside schools, Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence (BGCLK) staff created a virtual ballot for students to cast their vote in the Presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives – 2nd District, county and local elections.
Retired Lawrence educator, Ruthi Rapp, works with BGCLK each election year to coordinate the Voting for Great Futures effort with the school district. Rapp will send the ballot link to all of the principals at Lawrence Public Schools. The intention is to allow every student the chance to participate in this important educational opportunity. The primary focus is learning the voting concepts and process. Persuading children to vote for a certain candidate or political party is strictly prohibited.
“One of our three priority outcomes is good character and citizenship,” the Club’s CEO Monica Dittmer said. “We take our responsibility to heart about educating our Club kids on the importance of exercising their right to vote. The voting experience looks different for all of us this year, and adults are still making a plan to vote. Why wouldn’t we do the same for our children? An online ballot is not the same, of course, but knowing what decisions they will be making someday in the real ballot booth is incredibly important.”
Lawrence was one of six pilot sites across the state for Kids Voting when it was introduced in 1992. The Lawrence Journal-World was the initial business partner of the program. From 1992-2012, the program was run by a dedicated committee with support from businesses and community members who worked to provide students with an authentic voting experience. Originally, they opened Kids Voting polling sites at the same locations as the county’s official locations. For student voting, the sites were only open before and after school as it was hoped that families would share the voting experience together.
When it was learned that Kids Voting Kansas could no longer have the funding to provide the curriculum and materials, the committee approached the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence to assist in continuing the important program. Thus, Voting for Great Futures initiative was born.
“We hope that these experiences translate into kids becoming responsible, informed voters as they grow up,” Dittmer said. “We talk about ‘Great Futures Start Here’ every day. This is the way that all Americans can affect what their future is going to look like.”