Youth’s turnout encouraging

Mo Nichols Charlottesville
Published: November 9, 2008

My experience this past Election Day left me most encouraged.

Both surveying the early morning long line at my Jefferson Park precinct polling place on Cherry Avenue and volunteering later in the day, I was so uplifted to see many of my 20-year-old son’s peers voting. I recognized “kids” he went to school with throughout the 13 years of his attendance at Charlottesville City Schools — now young men and women — showing up in such gratifying numbers. I was especially thrilled to recognize former Johnson Elementary School students showing up to cast their ballots — perhaps for the first time in their lives. (Bravo, you young people!)

These 19-, 20- and 21-year-olds, who either still live in the area or came back especially to vote, and others who sent in absentee ballots, were performing their civic responsibility. Their votes are probably a big reason the election turned out the way it did (or will, with the tight race in our Fifth Congressional District).

I applaud them, and those who instilled in them the importance of their civic duty. As family members, neighbors, teachers, mentors and elected officials, let’s do all we can to empower this generation to be engaged in and serve responsibly in their communities.

This generation of citizens, whose ancestors include Mus-lims and Mormons, atheists and Yogaville residents, Pilgrims and Panthers, welfare recipients and professors, small-business owners and low-wage earners, convicts and City Councilors, deserve a prominent place in forming our future, and reaching their potential.