One of my favorite baby pictures of my daughter was taken at a political rally when she was only five months old. There she is, in my arms, standing in a high school gymnasium surrounded by dedicated voters working for change. My girl’s been to rallies, campaign fundraisers, the Iowa caucus, and has shaken the hands of candidates. We’re an election family — if there’s any kind of voting going on, whether it’s for the local school board in our tiny Iowa town or for president of the United States, you better believe we’re headed to the polls that day.
Ever since my daughter was born five years ago, she’s accompanied us every time. To everything. This will be the first year in her entire life that she won’t be going to the polls with me. My family will be voting by mail to minimize our exposure to COVID-19, and it’s throwing me for a loop, that’s for sure.
To be honest, it breaks my heart
I love taking my girl with me to vote. It feels like I’m in peak “good mom” mode, answering her questions about our democratic process while setting a great example of voter participation. The polling place volunteers love her, and always give her “I Voted” stickers. I think it’s important to have children in the room to watch us vote — to encourage them to do the same, obviously, but also as a visual reminder for all who are there casting their ballots of what’s at stake.
This little girl’s future is in our hands, and the officials we elect will shape it
So, as I prepare to fill out my mail-in ballot, I’ve been brainstorming my plan for keeping my daughter involved in this process. And I’ve been told I’m kind of extra, so buckle up — I’ve always believed that if something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right!
First of all, I have a special time carved out for my daughter and I to sit down together and fill out my ballot. I’ll explain to her why we can’t vote in-person this time. Then, I’m going to go through the ballot candidate by candidate and show her pictures of each person. As she watches me mark my ballot, I’ll explain to her why I’m supporting that candidate. We’ll walk down to the post office and put the envelope in the mailbox together. Then, the most extra thing of all — I’m making “I Voted” stickers for us to wear!
On election night, she’ll be on the couch watching right along with us. Okay, with some breaks here and there to catch an episode of Paw Patrol — she is five, after all.
I think we can all agree that 2020 has been a hell of a year
But, for me, it’s all about silver linings. Filling out my ballot with my daughter and involving her with every step of my process of voting at home presents a unique opportunity to dig deeper into our democracy, and make sure that my daughter understands her duties as a citizen of the United States of America.
If we want children to display values and behaviors, we as adults must model them. I’m going to make sure my daughter knows the coronavirus won’t stand in our way on election day.
