Ever wonder why adults get so excited—and sometimes pretty grumpy—every November? They’re usually talking about voting. It’s basically the biggest "choose your own adventure" game in the real world. Except, instead of picking which path to take in a book, millions of people are picking who gets to run the country, make the laws, and decide how much money goes to schools or parks.
It's kind of a big deal.
Even though you probably can't head to a polling booth just yet, understanding how this whole system works is super important. Honestly, the more you know now, the better you’ll be at making those big decisions when it’s finally your turn. So, let’s look at some 10 facts about voting for kids that show how we got here and why every single ballot counts.
Voting is Basically How We "Hire" Our Leaders
Think of the government like a massive company or a sports team. Someone has to be in charge, right? In a democracy, the citizens are the bosses. We don’t just let anyone show up and start making rules. Instead, we have elections.
An election is like a giant interview process. Candidates—the people who want the job—spend months (sometimes years!) telling us why they’re the best choice. They make speeches, run ads on TV, and travel all over the place. When Election Day rolls around, people cast their votes to "hire" the person they think will do the best job.
If they do a bad job? Well, in the next election, the voters can "fire" them by picking someone else. It's a pretty wild way to run a country, but it’s the best way we’ve found to make sure everyone’s voice gets heard.
You Used to Have to Own Land to Vote
Wait, what? Seriously. When the United States first started back in the 1700s, voting wasn't for everyone. It was actually super exclusive.
Basically, if you weren’t a white man who owned a certain amount of land, you were out of luck. The Founders (the guys who wrote the Constitution) were a little nervous about letting everyone vote. They worried that people who didn't own property might not care enough about how the country was run.
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Obviously, that’s not true. Over time, people realized that every citizen has a stake in the future, regardless of whether they own a house or a giant farm. By the 1850s, most states had dropped the "property owner" rule, but it took a lot longer for other groups to get their fair share of the power.
The 19th Amendment Was a Massive Game-Changer
For a huge chunk of American history, women weren't allowed to vote. At all. It sounds totally bizarre now, right? But back then, many people thought women didn't need to vote because their husbands or fathers would do it for them.
Women called "suffragists" spent decades fighting to change this. They held parades, gave speeches, and some even went to jail for trying to cast a ballot. One of the most famous leaders, Susan B. Anthony, actually got arrested in 1872 just for voting!
Finally, in 1920, the 19th Amendment was added to the Constitution. It officially gave women the right to vote in every state. It was a huge victory, but it’s important to remember that even after this, many women of color still faced really tough obstacles at the polls for a long time afterward.
10 Facts About Voting for Kids: The Age Used to Be 21
You might know that the voting age is 18 now. But did you know it stayed at 21 for almost two hundred years?
Everything changed during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. At the time, 18-year-old men were being drafted into the military to fight in a war overseas. The weird thing was, they were old enough to be soldiers, but they weren't allowed to vote for the leaders who were sending them to war.
People started using the slogan "Old enough to fight, old enough to vote." It made a ton of sense to a lot of people. In 1971, the 26th Amendment was ratified, lowering the age to 18. It was one of the fastest amendments ever passed because almost everyone agreed it was the right thing to do.
The Word "Ballot" Comes From a Small Ball
Ever wonder why we call the paper you mark your choices on a "ballot"? It’s actually a really old word.
It comes from the Italian word ballotta, which means "small ball." Centuries ago, in places like Venice, Italy, people would vote by dropping colored balls into a box. A white ball might mean "yes," and a black ball might mean "no."
If someone got a lot of black balls, they were "blackballed," which is a phrase we still use today when someone is left out or rejected. Today, we mostly use paper ballots or touchscreens, but the name stuck!
Election Day is Always a Tuesday (For a Weird Reason)
Have you ever noticed that big elections always happen on a Tuesday in November? It’s not just a random choice. Back in 1845, Congress picked this day for a very specific, "old-school" reason: farming.
Most Americans back then were farmers. They needed a day to vote that didn't interfere with the harvest (which was in the fall) or the planting season (in the spring). November was the perfect "sweet spot."
But why Tuesday? Well, people usually went to church on Sunday and it could take a whole day to travel by horse and buggy to the nearest polling place. If they left on Monday, they could vote on Tuesday and be back home for market day on Wednesday. Even though we have cars and paved roads now, we still keep the Tuesday tradition!
The "Electoral College" is Not an Actual School
This is one of the most confusing parts of American voting. When people vote for President, they aren't actually voting directly for the person. Instead, they’re voting for a group of people called "electors."
Each state gets a certain number of electors based on how many people live there. For example, California has a ton of electors (54 for the 2024 and 2026 cycles) because it has a huge population. Small states like Wyoming or Vermont only have three.
To become President, a candidate needs to win at least 270 out of the 538 total electoral votes. It’s sort of like a giant tournament where winning the most states is more important than just getting the most individual votes across the whole country.
You Can Actually "Pre-Register" in Some States
If you're 16 or 17, you might not have to wait until your 18th birthday to start the process. In many states, like California or Florida, you can "pre-register" to vote.
This basically means you fill out the paperwork now, and the government keeps it on file. Then, as soon as you blow out the candles on your 18th birthday, you’re automatically added to the list of active voters. It’s a great way to make sure you’re ready to go for the next election without having to worry about deadlines at the last minute.
Check your state’s Secretary of State website to see if they allow this. It’s a pretty cool way to feel like you’re part of the system before you’re even "legal."
Every Vote Really Does Matter (No, Really!)
You’ll sometimes hear people say, "My one little vote won't change anything." But history shows that’s just not true. Lots of elections have been decided by just a handful of votes.
In 2000, the entire U.S. Presidential election came down to the state of Florida. Out of millions of people who voted, the gap between the two candidates was only 537 votes. That’s about the number of kids in a medium-sized elementary school!
Local elections—like for mayor or school board—are often even closer. Sometimes they’re decided by only 5 or 10 votes. When people stay home because they think their vote doesn't matter, they're actually letting other people make the decisions for them.
Symbols Like the Donkey and Elephant Were Sorta Jokes
You’ve probably seen the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey. Those aren't official government logos; they actually started as cartoons!
A famous cartoonist named Thomas Nast used these animals in his drawings in the 1870s to poke fun at the political parties. He drew the Democrats as a donkey because he thought they were stubborn, and he drew the Republicans as an elephant because they seemed big and easily scared.
The parties actually liked the symbols and started using them for themselves. Now, they're the most famous political icons in the world. It just goes to show that even serious things like politics have a bit of a funny history.
What You Can Do Right Now
Even if you aren't 18, you don't have to just sit on the sidelines. Voting is a habit, and you can start practicing it today.
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- Host a Family Vote: Next time your family can't decide what to have for dinner or which movie to watch, suggest a secret ballot. It’s a great way to see how voting makes things fair.
- Do Your Research: When an election is happening, look at the "Kids' Guides" or simplified news sites to see what the candidates are talking about.
- Talk to the Adults: Ask the grown-ups in your life why they vote (or why they don't). You might be surprised by what they say.
- Volunteer: Some polling places allow high school students to help out on Election Day as "poll workers." It's a cool way to see the action up close and even earn a little money or school credit.
Voting is how we take care of our country. It’s our way of saying, "This is the kind of world I want to live in." By learning these 10 facts about voting for kids, you’re already one step ahead of the game. Stay curious, keep asking questions, and get ready—your turn at the ballot box will be here before you know it.