Rosemont students go to the polls

Come Super Tuesday on Feb. 5, Rosemont Middle School students will be exercising their right as American citizens to vote in a presidential primary. Although none of the students have yet reached voting age, they will have their chance to choose the presidential candidate that they think will best represent the country.

“We wanted to do this because [voting in] America has been on a steady decline,” said Daniel Cauble, a junior at Crescenta Valley High School.

Cauble and his fellow high school political science enthusiasts, Douglas Drugan and Taylor Kisor-Smith, decided to bring voting to the middle school to raise awareness among students and, in turn, their parents.

“We have decided to make it a challenge to the students’ parents,” said Lynn McGinnis, Rosemont history teacher. “We will keep a tally of how many kids vote and compare it to voter turnout in the area. I bet the kids will win.”

For several weeks now, Rosemont students have been discussing candidates in their classrooms. McGinnis has encouraged his students to read whatever they can find on the policies put forth by each presidential hopeful and urged students to make an educated choice.

“I think that voting is the most important part of being an American,” Cauble said. “We want to bring that feeling back.”

Cauble, Drugan and Kisor-Smith have had meetings with Rosemont students who sit on the school’s Primary Committee. They have discussed how to conduct and tally the votes. “On Feb. 5, kids will go to the polls in the morning, during their break and after school,” Cauble said.

“Assistant Rita Buchanan from the Glendale City Clerk’s office donated voting booths and George Davolos from the Los Angeles County Registrar’s Office also donated voting booths, ink dots and 500 ‘I Voted’ stickers,” McGinnis said.

An extra 200 stickers were donated by Glendale High School after their mock election last week.

“We photocopied the real California ballot, so the kids will be voting just like their parents,” McGinnis said. “And we just got a corporate sponsor — Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. They donated 400 doughnuts.”

McGinnis said that the first 400 kids who vote on Tuesday morning, beginning at 7 a.m., will get the doughnuts.

“We have had about 9 percent of the student body already turn in absentee ballots,” he added.

Cauble is a member of the Crescenta-Cañada YMCA-sponsored Youth and Government program and founded the Libertarian Club at the high school. He has studied the candidates and likes what he has seen of Ron Paul, a Republican candidate who has made news because of his Internet following.

“I think the Internet involvement shows that the younger generation is really on his side,” Cauble said.

He has noticed a new, young movement and has hope for the future.

“The younger generation is a huge voting force,” Cauble said. “The parties are going to have to change.”