American democracy is currently a contentious issue for my 9-year-old daughter, but she recently told me that she really wants to vote. I hope to start a productive conversation with other parents in Orange County about how to get kids interested in voting by the time they’re twice her age.
No matter where you lean politically, we all tend to agree (though there are exceptions) on the fact that voting is a powerful way to express your opinion. September 17th was National Voter Registration Day, and in Orange County, 43% of 18-year-olds are registered to vote. That’s higher than the average of 30%, according to the Civic Center.
Meanwhile, half of American teens can pre-register at age 16, yet Orange County lags behind 28 other California counties with a pre-registration rate of just 12.8%. I asked myself why Orange County’s teen pre-registration rate was so low, and asked my daughter, who lived with me, and she told me the first presidential debate was boring, the budget was boring, city council meetings were boring.
I can’t blame her. In Westminster, where we live, the city council meetings have been really “interesting” lately. But would they encourage my daughter to watch it? I don’t think so.
For one thing, a recent council meeting lasted over 12 hours until 5:20 the next morning. There are fears of bankruptcy. There is infighting, name-calling, sharing of misinformation, and even lawsuits and motions of censure being filed. Council members hate each other, which, when you think about it, is a lot like the political climate in our country.
Taking a step back even further, I rarely want to discuss what’s going on at the Orange County Board of Supervisors with anyone, let alone my daughter. Of course, this is difficult since I serve on the County Commission on Art at John Wayne Airport. As a District 1 resident, I’m exhausted by the never-ending research and I just want to give back to my community. So at dinner the day after the board meeting, I talk about an interesting art installation that’s coming up.
So, don’t talk about politics with your kids. Instead, I think I’ve found another way. The time my daughter recently spoke about the president in a constructive way was when we were on a trash pick-up with her Girl Scout troop in Seal Beach, where I happen to be helping lead the troop. There was a ton of plastic and food waste, and she and her fellow scouts were upset about it. “Now,” I asked the girls, “what do we do?”
“Write a letter to the president!” they said.
“Put some people in jail!” they said.
We talked about what the president would do about trash. Some of the girls said they didn’t think the president was responsible for trash. We talked about the local city council. We also talked about whether people who litter should go to jail, whether they deserve it. Unfortunately, today’s generation of 9-year-olds isn’t in favor of reform in that regard. But the girls also talked about putting up more signs to discourage people from littering. They began to wonder why there weren’t more trash cans on the beach.
It will take some time. Luckily, these girls still have a lifetime to earn the right to vote. In the meantime, what I’ve noticed is that Gen Alpha gets interested in politics when issues come up in our community. They don’t listen to other conversations, but they do care about being part of the local conversation. And we should start there. For example, our local park was supposed to be fenced off until last December while the local council’s Parks and Recreation Committee, of which I am an appointed member, was working on it. The work fell behind schedule and my daughter was furious.
“No playground, no peace!” she said, and I have to admit that I’m rather proud of her, even if I’m a little nervous about the atmosphere in our home for the next few weeks.
Kristin Hernandez lives in Westminster and works for IGNITE, a nonpartisan national organization dedicated to developing young women’s political leadership. She currently serves on the City of Westminster’s Parks and Recreation Committee.
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