Marion Kids Voting Kansas task force seeks 'kingpin'
Staff writer
An organizational meeting, aimed toward creation of a local Kids Voting Kansas task force, was held Wednesday morning at the Marion County Courthouse.
It is important to select the right coordinator, leader, "kingpin" for the task force, all present felt.
There will be another meeting, toward that end, at 10 a.m. June 18, at the courthouse.
The aim of the program is to get young people interested in politics and government, help them become informed citizens, and "get them voting." At present, Marion-Florence USD 408 will be the only school district involved in this area.
KVK is a kindergarten through 12th grade program. A concerted effort from the community at large will be required to get the program going here, Marion County Clerk Carol Maggard and others said.
Someone will have to be sure the kids' ballots get printed, that the students and their parents get to the polls on election day in November 2004, that the ballots are counted, and other tasks.
Those at Wednesday's meeting, in addition to Maggard, were Rex Ostmeyer, Marion High School government teacher; Eloise Mueller, Marion mayor; Susan Cooper, director of economic development for the City of Marion; Jeannine Bateman, county treasurer, representing Marion Kiwanis Club; Linda Ogden, director of Marion County Communities in Schools; and Juanita J. Stovall.
The cost of the program is 25 cents per child, per year. The local commitment to the program will be for two years. It will be taught in the schools, and children will be encouraged to discuss what they learn with their parents and others.
Creating interest and enthusiasm in the local citizenry is crucial. "It's a long-range program," Maggard said, "to change kids' attitudes toward government."
Participants said Kiwanis, Lions, the Chamber of Commerce and other groups should be encouraged to become involved with KVK locally, "but it's not their project, it's a community one," Cooper and Ostmeyer both said.
A checklist, sent out by Kansas Secretary of State Ron Thornburgh's office, exists for implementing the program locally.
Cooper said the checklist will help, "so that we don't have to re-invent the wheel."
The KVK curriculum will be age-appropriate for each grade level, Ostmeyer said.
Lawyers, leadership class members, Missy Stubenhofer, curriculum director for USD 408, the Marion High School Youth Team, Key Club, and the Marion County Home School Association were a few of the organizations and individuals whose help and input will be sought.
The group talked to Emily Bradbury, KVK executive director, in Topeka, by speaker phone. She is with the Kansas Press Association, which is administering the program.
When she heard a task force was being formed in Marion, Bradbury exclaimed twice, "That's wonderful!"
Local control and implementation of the program is the aim.
Kids Voting USA, the national organization, has a Web site, www.kidsvotingusa.org, that can be consulted for more information.
Ostmeyer said something must be done to increase citizen participation in government. "Informed voters are needed."
Kids who vote, 17 months from now, will "get" "I Voted" stickers to put on their lapels or shirts.
