Why Voting Matters, Especially to Little Ones
A house in the Rattlesnake neighborhood has a compelling argument for why you should vote.
We’re letting our 8-year-old watch election returns with us on Tuesday.
It’s the least we can do. He’s super bummed he didn’t get to vote this year. We can’t stop him from telling people — complete strangers even — who he is voting for even though it will be 10 more years before he can actually vote.
We’ve taken our kids to vote with us since they were born. I love voting in person, even though I know that voting by mail is actually more convenient. When my kids were toddlers, I embraced every convenience, but I still bundled them up and took them to the polls with me. Every election, from President to School Board Trustee, has found our family of four in that little high school gymnasium, coloring in the little bubbles next to names with precision. I expected it to be that way until they were old enough to vote on their own, but like everything, Covid had other plans.
Just vote!
When our ballots arrived in the mail in early October, my husband hurried and filled his out, but I kept mine for a few days, feeling the weight of what was inside that little envelope. Finally, I called my son over. We talked about each choice on the ballot, and why mom was making that choice. I asked him what choices he would make, and was surprised, and proud, that our choices didn’t always align. We talked about how it’s okay to vote differently than your parents, and that every vote that is well researched and heavily considered is more powerful. We talked about advocacy, and that good advocates don’t just fight and vote for their own self interests, but the protection of others.
This election season, I have a simple plea (and it’s not just that political mailers stop arriving in my inbox). It’s that if you have children, please involve them in the election process. Teach them that democracy relies on all of us. Tell them about voting and why it matters. After all, the next generation of voters is watching.
Haven’t voted yet?
In Montana, ballots delivered in person or by mail must be received by your County Election Official by the time the polls close at 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. You may return your ballot to any polling place, the county election office, your assigned polling place, the absentee election board or an authorized election official.
To locate the drop off locations for your county, call the Election Official listed at: https://sosmt.gov/.../Forms/electionadministrators.pdf
You can also find drop off locations by texting DROPOFF to 30330 or going to IWillVote.com.
If you have any problems please call the voter protection hotline at 833-336-8683.
