Erie County will expand its Kids Voting program to seven early voting locations, giving children and families more opportunities to participate in a simulated election while accompanying adult voters, County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz and the Erie County Historical Commission announced Friday.
Organized by the Erie County Historical Commission in partnership with the New York Public History Trust, Kids Voting allows children to cast ballots in a mock election at participating early voting sites and learn how the voting process works. The children’s votes will not affect official election results. The Historical Commission will publish the mock election results on its Facebook page on election night.
“The goal is simple: we want today’s young participants to become tomorrow’s informed, engaged voters,” Poloncarz said. “If we want future generations to value democracy, we have to give them opportunities to experience it, understand it, and recognize their own role in sustaining it.”
The participating early voting locations are:
- Grand Island Welcome Center — Grand Island
- Orchard Park Community Activity Center — Orchard Park
- Moose Lodge 992 — Hamburg
- Our Lady of Peace Church — Uriel Hall — Clarence
- West Seneca Community Center — West Seneca
- Delavan Grider Community Center — Buffalo
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site — Buffalo
The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site will remain the program’s flagship location, the county said.
Erie County described the expansion as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen civic education and encourage long-term participation in democracy. The Historical Commission and the New York Public History Trust are partners in expanding access to experiential civic learning across the region.
About the partners
The Erie County Historical Commission works to preserve and promote county history while supporting public history initiatives, historic preservation and civic education programs. The New York Public History Trust is the state affiliate of Kids Voting USA and develops programs to help young people understand American democracy.
