The stodgy suit wearing, watch checking, business exec who plans to vote on his lunch break might prefer you leave your squirmy little ones at home on November 4th, but countless voter advocacy groups are hoping parents across the nation will bring their children with them to the polls on Election Day.
Several groups are going out of their way to make it easy for parents with children to get out and vote by providing free transportation to polling places and kid-friendly distractions inside.
Because of the massive attention given to this year’s election, parents are being warned that parking outside of polls might be hard to come by and the lines could be longer than ever before. (Tip: To avoid spending an hour or more waiting in line plan to cast your ballot mid-morning, after the early morning rush and before the lunch hour crowds start to form.)
If you have preschool age children then there are other reasons you should make voting a family affair, at least according to the folks running the Take Your Kids 2 Vote campaign. The project encourages parents to take their young (see: influential) children to the polls on Election Day to set an example about the importance of voting. According to campaign officials, taking your kids along when you vote is the “simplest and most effective way to demonstrate the greatest gift of American citizenship—-democracy.”
If you have older children experts recommend that you walk them through the voting process and use the time in line to discuss campaign issues that relate directly to children, then ask your son or daughter to share their opinions.
Finally, if your schedule doesn’t allow for a trip to the polls on November 4th consider mailing in an absentee ballot. This fall, several groups, including Action Alliance for Children are setting up voter-registration tables at child care facilities serving low-income families to register voters and encourage parents (especially single parents with limited resources) to avoid long lines at the polls on Election Day and vote via absentee ballot.
Do you normally take your children to the polls on Election Day?
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