“A healthy democracy needs well-informed, active citizens. But these citizens don’t just magically appear. People learn citizenship. They learn it, for example, as children when they go the polling place to watch their parents vote. They learn it advocating for an issue they care about with their neighbors. They learn it by doing it.” Valerie Strauss

This quote sums up the reason we felt that we needed to do this episode. Are our teens learning about the importance of voting and citizenship from us? Let's talk about it!

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Discuss politics at home

• Doesn't have to be specific or divisive
• Teach respectful disagreement
• Be okay if your child doesn't follow in your footsteps
• Learn to express your feelings

Why voting matters in 4 bullet points

• 1. Voting has consequences
• 2. Voting is a responsibility
• 3. Voting is a privilege
• 4. Voting is a way to affect change 

What teens can do before they're 18

• It seems dumb, but political tv shows are a fun, albeit not-very-realistic intro to some aspects of governement
• Take political classes (US Government and Citizenship is required)
• Pre-register (age dependent on state)
• Pay attention to passions and see how they can be talked about politically

Resources:

• Register future voters https://www.tolerance.org/future-voters-project/register-future-voters  

• How to register, where to vote, learn about candidates (in Utah): https://voteinfo.utah.gov/  

• Which states offer preregistration: https://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/preregistration-for-young-voters.aspx#How

• Interesting facts about why voting matters: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-voting-matters-motivating-facts/

• How the voting process in the US works https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53785985 

• Candidate platforms and horribly hilarious illustrations https://columbiachronicle.com/d98bd03e-3acf-11e9-a5ee-377326c0c21b 

• Taking it to the basics: https://www.kindercare.com/content-hub/articles/2016/october/good-politics-how-to-teach-your-kids-about-voting

• 4 Reasons voting matters: https://www.noodle.com/articles/teaching-your-teen-about-the-elections

• History of Voting in US: https://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/history-of-voting-in-america-timeline.pdf

• Map of democracy in world: https://freedomhouse.org/explore-the-map?type=fiw&year=2020&country=LBY

• Why young people don’t vote: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2018/09/20/many-young-people-dont-vote-because-they-never-learned-how-heres-free-class-now-schools-trying-change-that/

• Politifact https://www.politifact.com/

• @theamericanmoms and https://theamericanmoms.com

• Penny's Friend- Michelle Barber