The excitement of voting for the first time

Fifty years ago, Gerald Ford and Ronald Regan were vying for the Republican nomination for president. I can remember being so excited that I was going to be able to vote for one of them. I was turning 18 before the November election. 

Ford took the nomination but then lost in the general to Jimmy Carter. It was then that Bob Dole caught my attention. He was Ford’s 1976 running mate. Twenty years later, I volunteered for his presidential campaign. 

In 1971 the Constitution’s Amendment 26 was ratified. It lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 years old.  That was a big deal. There were protests in 1969 and 1970 calling for the amendment. “If you are old enough to fight, shouldn’t you be old enough to vote?”

Thanks to our high school government teacher, Mrs. Jeans, we learned the importance of being involved in elections. So many of us from the Class of 1976 were excited to vote. We made plans to meet at the polling places to vote in force. Some voted for Ford. Some voted for Carter. Yet we didn’t argue, fight or degrade each other or our chosen candidates. We relished being able to vote. 

We had witnessed the Watergate trials in 1973. I can remember coming home from school to watch them on our black and white TV in Arlington.   It was a hard and ugly time in the country politically. 

A few years later Mrs. Jeans used the happenings from those times to teach us about the good and the bad of politics.  She also took us to the Capital. We sat above the Senate and House to watch the proceedings. We learned how bills were written and passed. We watched politicians work across the aisle. We did a mock debate in class over the death penalty. Some were for; some were against. When class was over, we walked out still friends. 

How do we get our young people and people in general excited about voting again?  A friend said the other day she would be glad when a certain elected official was out of office. When asked who she would be voting for, she said she isn’t registered to vote.

Sadly, you may have heard the same from your friends and family. If you are reading this, please consider encouraging your family and friends to vote. Please vote yourself. Let’s get excited about voting again!