Since 1988, Kids Voting USA, a national network of community-based affiliates that partner with schools and election officials, has provided K-12 students an opportunity for civic learning. Through classroom instruction, family dialogue, and an authentic voting experience, Kids Voting’s goal is to improve the voting behavior in our younger generation.

Kids Voting provides teachers with curriculum and different types of activities to teach their students about the process of voting and each political party. Students are not only educated about the requirements and procedures to help develop critical thinking and decision-making skills; they are also taught the value that voting has in our country.

Throughout the Kids Voting project, students study each candidate and the issues surrounding their campaign.

“Parents are encouraged to spend time with their children discussing the candidates and issues,” said Jay Stone, the Chester County Intermediate Unit’s special events coordinator. “They are also encouraged to help their children gather information from newspapers, television, and magazines.

“It’s a great way for parents to spend time with their children, teaching them about the importance of voting.”

After the students are prepared in the classroom, they participate in a voting experience using a ballot that mirrors an actual election ballot with the same candidates and issues. This real-life experience reinforces the knowledge and skills gained through the curriculum and activities they have been taught in the classroom.

The following Chester County schools participated in the 2018 Kids Voting midterm elections:

• Avon Grove High School
• Bayard Rustin High School
• Charles F. Patton Middle School
• Collegium Charter School
• East Coventry Elementary School
• East Vincent Elementary School
• French Creek Elementary School
• Hopewell Elementary School
• North Coventry Elementary School
• Owen J. Roberts High School
• Owen J. Roberts Middle School
• Penn Wood Elementary School
• Pocopson Elementary School
• Renaissance Academy
• Saint Agnes School
• West Bradford Elementary School

The students accurately predicted the outcome of the U.S. Senator and Pennsylvania Governor races.

For Senator, 47 percent of students voted for Bob Casey, 40 percent voted for Lou Barletta, nine percent voted for Libertarian candidate Dale Kerns, and three percent voted for Green Party candidate Neal Gale.

For Governor, 73 percent of students voted for Tom Wolf, 21 percent voted for Scott Wagner, four percent voted for Green Party candidate Paul Glover, and two percent voted for Libertarian Ken Krawchuk.

To kick off the project, a Kids Voting ceremony took place in October at the Chester County Historic Courthouse in West Chester. Students learned about the importance of voting and ambassadors from the CCIU’s Technical College High School participated in a mock voter registration in which they publicly signed a document committing to register to vote when they turn 18.

Click here to watch the ceremony. Click here to learn more about Kids Voting.

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