The kids got a chance to “perform their civic duty” this afternoon. Amusingly, the boy wanted clarification on what his vote meant. I was blunt, I told him “Nothing, it doesn’t count because you’re not old enough.” I think he was a little taken aback.
The town’s public library had setup a “Mock Vote” for anyone under the age or 18. It appears to have been some kind of internet site, since it was browser based, with a ballot code to gain access. Upon entering the code, the ballot for a given state would come up and the kids could make their selections.
Both kids were excited about it, since they’ve been hearing about the election non-stop for the past couple of weeks at school. The boy has been coming home asking me why everyone here is voting for Barack Obama. His favorite theory is because “he’s already President, so they just want to keep him there.” He voted for Mitt Romney. When I asked him why, he said “because everyone else if voting for Barack Obama.”
The ballot program, in addition to the voting, had a bunch of questions about “the issues.” They wanted to know what the kids thought was the most important issue from things like health care, the environment, the national debt, energy and a few other things. Then they also had further questions where the question tried to drill in deeper about a given issues, like should taxes on the wealthy be raised or should programs be cut. Basically, things that were beyond the realm of a 6 and 8 year old. Heck, those things are probably beyond the realm of 18 year olds. Seemed like overkill to me, but I guess people need something to talk about.
When it was done, the boy stated “That was kind of boring.” I’m not sure what he expected, seeing as he watched me vote by filling in circles with a black marker on a paper ballot. At least he got to use a computer.
What’s that, the lass you say?
She voted for Barack Obama. I assume she’s still at the library…