WELCOME TO KIDS VOTING MISSOURI

ELECTION
2012

Questions to Think About???

Who will be the next President of the United States?

Will the Governor of Missouri be elected to a 2nd term?

What are your feelings about the"Everything Tax" that might be on the ballot?

Will 18-24 years vote in large numbers in Election 2012? Why or why not?

Are your parent(s) registered to vote?

How much money will be raised and spent for Election 2012?

Our nation was founded on many basic rights and freedoms. Through the years, many groups have struggled for the very precious right to vote. They have marched, they have protested, and they have given their lives for the right to cast a ballot and have a say in their government.

Today, many countries around the world are still fighting for the right vote. Yet Americans “throw" away this right by choosing not register or vote---essentially, choosing not to become involved.

Kids Voting Missouri is trying to do something about this voter apathy and civic disengagement. An affiliate of Kids Voting USA, KVMO is a grassroots, non-partisan, non-profit citizenship education program for students in grades K-12. Weeks before the election, students learn about the candidates and issues and importance of voting. They talk about party politics, majority rule, branches and levels of government, compromise, and representative democracy. They dialgoue, they debate, they role play.

Then on or near Election Day, Kids Voting students have the opportunity to vote on the same candidates and issues as the adult voters. Since 1996, more than 1 million KVMO students have learned about the importance of voting and citizenship and more than 550,000 have actually cast Kids Voting ballots.

Kids Voting USA is THE most authentic youth voter program in the country. In the St. Louis area KVMO is administered by the Citizenship Education Clearing House (CECH) at the University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Education.

CURRICULUM IDEAS FOR EDUCATORS...Kids Voting USA has written a dynamite curriculum guide to help teachers educate students about the history and importance of democracy and voting. It is divided into 4 thematic units for the following grade levels: K-2, 3-5, Middle School and High School.

The KVUSA thematic units include: Elections & Voting; Democracy & the People; The Right to Vote; and Active Citizenship. Each unit covers the following four concepts: “My Vote Gives Me Power; I Study the Candidates and Issues; I Register and I Vote; and I Continue To Make A Difference in MY Community.”

DOUBLECLICK DEMOCRACY for ELECTION 2012...As in 2010, Kids Voting Missouri student voters will again use Kids Voting USA's on-line voter system called "Doubleclick Democracy." This on-line feature allows students to vote for the same candidates and issues as the adult voters with the simple "click" of a mouse. All participating schools get their own KVMO Ballot URL's & special log on pin numbers.

ELECTION 2012...To inquire about joining Kids Voting Missouri contact:

Sandy Diamond, Director, Kids Voting Missouri
sdiamond@umsl.edu
314-516-6823

KIDS VOTING IN ACTION---ELECTION 2010

"The spirit of democracy cannot be imposed from without. It has to come from within." Gandhi

"Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government."
Thomas Jefferson

FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT SANDY DIAMOND
sdiamond@umsl.edu or 314-516-6823