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Mark Griffin’s ninth-grade civics students are learning about politics in class, but come Election Day, they will have the opportunity to experience what it’s like to actually be a part of the election process.

 
Student volunteers from Griffin’s three civics classes will help out at the Kids Voting precinct at Grimsley High School Tuesday. Students will explain the voting process to each person younger than 18 who wishes to participate in Kids Voting.

Students will then collect the ballots and issue “I Voted” stickers to each voter. Additional students may help collect, sort and count the ballots at the downtown Kids Voting Warehouse.

Griffin sees their participation as a valuable, hands-on learning experience.

“Keep in mind that we are in the same space as the adult elections, and the ballots are very similar,” he said of Kids Voting. “Studies have shown that kids who participate in Kids Voting are much more likely to participate in the democratic process as adults.”

Kids Voting-Guilford County is the local affiliate of Kids Voting USA and Kids Voting North Carolina, a nonprofit and nonpartisan grass-roots program.

The goal of Kids Voting is to increase informed voter participation by teaching students about the elections process and encouraging a lifelong commitment to voting and serving their communities.
Grimsley students have been helping run the Kids Voting precinct at their school for several years, though this year they will have to volunteer before and after school because students do not get Election Day off this year.

Freshman Adrienne Hooper volunteered with Kids Voting at the St. Pius X Catholic Church/School precinct last year and is looking forward to helping this year at Grimsley.

“I hope to go into politics one day, and this might give me an idea of what election standards are like,” she said.

“I think Kids Voting is great because it’s good to see what the kids think and how close they come to what their parents think and vote,” said freshman Keegan Hufham.

Griffin’s students have been studying local elections, candidates and issues that are at stake in this election. They are delivering sample ballots to each of the 12 civics classes at Grimsley so that students can drop off completed ballots on Election Day. Student precinct captains attend Kids Voting training and are responsible for making sure they have enough volunteers.

“A huge part of the civics curriculum is civic volunteering, elections, voting, politics and political parties,” Griffin said. “My hope is that students learn how the election process works, who votes and why they vote, as well as the importance of local, state and national elections.”

Griffin said that in years past, most kids voting at the Grimsley precinct have been Grimsley students, but they also get a large number from local elementary and middle school voters.

“I think our participation in Kids Voting sends a message that this is a democratic process that is primarily run by teens for all kids, and that they feel it’s so important to get in the habit of voting that they are willing to give up their precious free time to help,” Griffin said.
 

Contact Jennifer Atkins Brown at 574-5582 or jennifer.brown@news-record.com