Civic Engagement

Now here's an interesting story that I picked up on Waldo Jaquith's blog today....

Kaine and Potts wrote an editorial encouraging young people to vote; Kilgore refused to sign on.

Huh?

State and national leaders (Governor Mike Huckabee, Secretary of Education Spellings) came together at the national forum sponsored by the Education Commission of the States this week to talk about (among other things, including NCLB) civic learning and civic engagement.

Virginia is part of this effort. We're about to launch our new Commission on Civics Education designed to (i) educate students on the importance of citizen involvement in a representative democracy, (ii) promote the study of state and local government among the Commonwealth's citizenry, and (iii) enhance communication and collaboration among organizations in the Commonwealth that conduct civic education programs.

We have Virginia elementary and high school students participating in We the People, KidsVote, the Virginia Student Parent Mock Election, Boys State, Girls State, etc. see, "Mothers Be Good to Your Daughters: Teach Them to Vote"

But, Kilgore can't put his name on a joint effort by gubernatorial candidates to promote voting by 18-24 year olds?

"If all young Virginians take a greater role in our democratic process, the future of our commonwealth is in good hands. This is a cause we can all agree on."

Guess not.