024 - Teaching Teens Why Voting is Important

“A healthy democracy needs well-informed, active citizens. But these citizens don’t just magically appear. People learn citizenship. They learn it, for example, as children when they go the polling place to watch their parents vote. They learn it advocating for an issue they care about with their neighbors. They learn it by doing it.” Valerie Strauss This quote sums up the reason we felt that we needed to do this episode. Are our teens learning about the importance of voting and citizenship from us? Let's talk about it! ⁠ Discuss politics at home Doesn't have to be specific or divisive Teach respectful disagreement Be okay if your child doesn't follow in your footsteps Learn to express your feelings Why voting matters in 4 bullet points 1. Voting has consequences 2. Voting is a responsibility 3. Voting is a privilege 4. Voting is a way to affect change  What teens can do before they're 18 It seems dumb, but political tv shows are a fun, albeit not-very-realistic intro to some aspects of governement Take political classes (US Government and Citizenship is required) Pre-register (age dependent on state) Pay attention to passions and see how they can be talked about politically Resources: Register future voters https://www.tolerance.org/future-voters-project/register-future-voters   How to register, where to vote, learn about candidates (in Utah): https://voteinfo.utah.gov/   Which states offer preregistration: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/preregistration-for-young-voters.aspx#How Interesting facts about why voting matters: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-voting-matters-motivating-facts/ How the voting process in the US works https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53785985  Candidate platforms and horribly hilarious illustrations https://columbiachronicle.com/d98bd03e-3acf-11e9-a5ee-377326c0c21b  Taking it to the basics: https://www.kindercare.com/content-hub/articles/2016/october/good-politics-how-to-teach-your-kids-about-voting 4 Reasons voting matters: https://www.noodle.com/articles/teaching-your-teen-about-the-elections History of Voting in US: https://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/history-of-voting-in-america-timeline.pdf Map of democracy in world: https://freedomhouse.org/explore-the-map?type=fiw&year=2020&country=LBY Why young people don’t vote: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/09/20/many-young-people-dont-vote-because-they-never-learned-how-heres-free-class-now-schools-trying-change-that/ Politifact https://www.politifact.com/ @theamericanmoms and https://theamericanmoms.com Penny's Friend- Michelle Barber