Vote!

Do it for (and with) the kids

Tuesday, Nov. 6, is election day! My husband and I voted early on Saturday, and we were happy to see so many others lined up to exercise their right.

If you can, take your kids with you when you vote. They may be too young to fill in the bubbles, but they’re not too young to learn from your example. Research tells us that voting habits, just like many other habits, are ingrained in us at an early age.

I remember my parents voting. They also talked about politics, and my dad worked for political candidates. I remember walking the neighborhood with him. My siblings and I were all politically interested and active long before we were old enough to vote.

My grandfather was an immigrant, and one of the happiest days of his life was when he became an American citizen. I can’t even imagine NOT exercising my right to vote. It would be a dishonor to my parents and my grandparents.

My three children all vote. They have volunteered to work for the candidates of their choice. I have to think that my husband and I had something to do with those habits. We are both life-long voters, and we have always discussed issues with our children. Beyond that, we talked about our values, how to find the facts behind the emotion, and why we vote the way we do. We don’t expect our children to agree. Sometimes my husband and I don’t agree on a candidate or an issue, but we know why we are voting a certain way.

Even after all these years, I still feel a sense of civic pride when I cast my ballot. I hope you will take your children to the polling place with you, so that they will become voters as adults. Voting should not be what “other people do,” but what you do because you are an American citizen.

If you don’t know your polling place, or want to look at a sample ballot, go to https://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Info/Online_Voter_Tool/ or go to Vote411.org.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.