KidsVention event pulls in 2,000 Las Vegas students for mock political process

With the next generation of voters not far away from casting their ballots for the first time, the nonprofit Kids Voting Southern Nevada is making sure they are prepared to do so when the time comes.

“It is important for them to know their votes count,” said Chanda Cook, the chairwoman for the organization. “It’s critical for us to teach them about (the election process) early.”

Kids Voting Southern Nevada is part of a larger national organization that works with schools and communities.

“It is designed to increase civics education for students,” Cook said.

Throughout the year, it partners with various schools to provide curriculum that teaches students about the election process and the importance of voting.

The organization worked with the Clark County School District to put on the KidsVention April 19, which gave students from across the Las Vegas Valley a chance to not only learn about the election process but also to try their hands at it.

Nearly 2,000 students from elementary, middle and high schools filled the Henderson Pavilion, 200 S. Green Valley Parkway, to put their knowledge and voices to use.

Natalie Burton, a seventh-grader from Miller Middle School, 2400 Cozy Hill Circle, participated at KidsVention for the first time this year.

“It shows just how chaotic the election process can be,” she said. “I think it’s good that we are learning about this now and seeing how the process works.”

Burton said her parents often talk about the upcoming election and spoke about the Nevada caucus, which took place in February. Being able to participate in the KidsVention helped Burton better understand some of what her parents talked about.

At the event, students listened to the pros and cons of four debate topics: Should there be a limit on television and video games at night; should students be required to learn financial literacy; should learning a second language be a requirement for graduation; and should the United States change the $10 bill to have Eleanor Roosevelt on it?

State senators and assemblymen squared off against high school debaters on each topic. Armed with a plastic, hand-clapping noisemaker, students got a chance to cast their ballots every time they shook the device.

The topics had a mixture of vocal supporters and dissenters, cheering every time a speaker said something that resonated with them.

Burton was among those who was vocal about her stances.

“I was in favor of the financial literacy topic,” Burton said. “It was really frustrating to have so many students opposed to it.”

The crowd also heard from Kim Russell, a volunteer, who spoke on Sojourner Truth, an African-American abolitionist and women’s rights activist in the 1800s. Russell also talked about how the right to vote wasn’t always accessible to everyone.

Women and racial minorities fought for the right to vote — and the right to vote without fear of backlash — throughout various parts of the 1900s.

Russell said because of the sacrifices of many activists to make voting a right, people should look at it as a requirement.

“I hope children learn the value of voting,” she said.

With 2016 being a presidential election year, Cook said it is a perfect time to talk about voting and its significance.

“They will be the ones voting for our future leaders,” she added. “If they don’t vote, then our democracy doesn’t work.”

Visit kidsvotingusa.org.

To reach Henderson View reporter Michael Lyle, email mlyle@viewnews.com or call 702-387-5201. Find him on Twitter: @mjlyle.