| Did you know...
- Since the legal voting age was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1972, the voter turnout rate
among 18-24 year olds has steadily declined. In 1972, 50% of 18 to 24 year olds voted. By
the 1996 elections only 32% of young people in that age group turned out at the polls.
Turnout among this age group in 1998 was below 20%.
- Even with changes that have made voter registration easier, such as the Motor Voter law,
only half (49%) of 18 to 24 year olds were registered to vote in 1996.
Statistics from New Millennium Project, sponsored by
the National Association of Secretaries of State
Program description
Kids Voting is a private, nonpartisan, nonprofit, grassroots organization that promotes
voter participation by educating America's youth about the importance of an informed
electorate and the responsibilities of voting to sustain democracy. It's the only
civics program that brings students into official polling sites on election day. Wake
County's award-winning program reaches out to over 125,000 students.
Mission
Kids Voting NC Wake County creates an active and informed electorate by engaging students
and the community in the democratic process.
Goals
Kids Voting collaborates with public, private, parochial, home, and charter schools to:
Create an informed electorate
Increase adult voter turnout
Develop lifetime voting habits in youth
Kids Voting works to establish a voting generation by developing future citizens who
regard voting as vital to American life. The project also reminds adults of their civic
responsibility.
How is Kids Voting unique?
Kids Voting USA is the only organization that virtually replicates the voting
process by taking students into official voting precincts on election day. Kindergarten
through high school students register to vote and participate in a fun classroom
curriculum about the election process. On election day, students go to the polls with
adults and cast their ballots in local, state, and national elections. Results are tallied
and reported to schools and the news media.
Results
Research shows that Kids Voting USA increases adult voter turnout anywhere from five to
ten percent, suggesting that more than 600,000 people came to the polls in the 1996
national election as a result of Kids Voting programs throughout the country. Dr. Steven
Chaffee of Stanford University found in his research that Kids Voting students act as
"change agents" for the non-voting adults in the family, boosting parents'
interest in the election process. Studies also confirm that there is no partisan bias in
the program.
- Wake County Elections
More than 200,000 student ballots have been cast in Wake County since the program began
in 1996!
For more information please read our Fact Sheet.
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