What: A private, nonpartisan, nonprofit community and school-based (K-12) organization dedicated to educating youth about the importance of an informed electorate and about voting to sustain democracy. We strive to instill life-long voting habits in school age children while boosting voter participation among adults.

Mission: To educate children regarding the democratic process and to promote voter participation.

Need: Kids Voting Ohio/Southwestern is addressing citizen apathy on an issue that is fundamental to democracy - the importance of voting. In 1996 only 49 percent of the nation's eligible voters went to the polls, the lowest voter turnout for a Presidential election since 1924.

Program: Kids Voting Ohio/Southwestern is a voter education program in which students in kindergarten through twelfth grade participate in activity based curriculum about the election process. On Election Day, Kids Voting provides students with an opportunity to go to their neighborhood polls to cast ballots alongside adult voters. The sites are staffed throughout the day by community volunteers who help students cast their Kids Voting ballots. The Kids Voting ballots are tabulated and reported to the media just as official results.

Leadership: Executive Director with Regional and Advisory Boards.

Founding: Founded nationally in 1991 by three Arizona businessmen, Kids Voting USA models itself after a program in Costa Rica, a strong democracy with consistent voter turnout of approximately 90 percent, the highest of any Western democratic country. For more than 40 years, children in Costa Rica have discussed election issues in their classrooms and voted alongside their parents on election day. Kids Voting has continued to build on this idea, and is currently available in 43 states nationwide.

Kids Voting Ohio/Southwestern originated in Hamilton County in 1996. This first year was a success by many measures: nearly 250 public, private, and parochial schools participated in the curriculum, more than 46,000 students cast a Kids Voting ballot, and 1900 community members volunteered to work the Kids Voting polls, including 400 high school students

Combats Communities with Kids Voting programs see adult voter turnout increase Voter Apathy: by an average of three to ten percent.

1997 Projections: Although local government is where many decisions that directly affect us are being made, this is where voter turnout is the lowest. With only 30 percent of adult registered voters participating in local elections, we feel Kids Voting can make a significant impact in 1997. Kids Voting Ohio/Southwestern aims to teach children that their responsibility and opportunity to participate in government extends much further than every four years.

Expansion: Due to the inaugural year success of Kids Voting Ohio/Southwestern several requests for expansion have come from neighboring counties. In addition to Hamilton County, Clermont County is currently on board for the 1997 election, and Butler County is in the works for continued expansion in 1998.

Curriculum: Four to twelve hours of creative classroom curriculum, developed over ten years, that is highly hands on and interactive in nature. The Kids Voting curriculum encourages analytical and critical thinking skills, and strives to stimulate an interest and enthusiasm for voting and the democratic process.