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Feature TYLA Project

Vote America
By:  Kimberly Smith and David Courreges

While the fundamental right to vote was not historically afforded to all, today, every adult American citizen regardless of race, gender, religion, or socio-economic background has the opportunity to vote. TYLA created a thirty minute video program entitled Vote America designed to educate high school students about heroic efforts of the past, fueled by the dreams of our founding fathers. To encourage understanding of our necessary role in defending democracy today, the video discusses the enactments of the Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and the struggles associated with the 1965 Voting Rights Act. (To view the video, visit http://www.tyla.org/index.cfm/projects/vote-america/.)

Since its inception, Vote America has been widely embraced by school districts, governmental entities and private organizations who have sought to educate individuals on their right and duty to vote. For instance, the Elections Division of the Travis County Tax Assessor's office adopted Vote America to help register over 98% of eligible voters in Travis County during 2008. The Division still utilizes Vote America today, and counts it as one of its more valuable resources. The League of Women Voters, an organization that prides itself on being nonpartisan, used Vote America to help its members understand the history of the suffrage movement. Finally, school districts from across the United States have implemented Vote America, and the accompanying curriculum, to supplement civics education with great success.

This year, on Constitution Day (September 17th), Texarkana Young Lawyer volunteers presented the video to 175 seniors at Liberty-Eylau High School. Jasmine Crockett, Brennan Bose, John Crisp, Bill Cook, Cory Floyd and Kristi McCasland were among the young lawyers who volunteered. Justice Jack Carter of the Sixth Court of Appeals spoke to students about the importance of exercising their right to vote, and deputy voter registrars registered all eligible students to vote. This amazing project is only made possible through the time, energy, and effort of local volunteers who made the trip from Texarkana to the county seat, New Boston, to become deputy voter registrars.

TYLA members Alfonso Cabanas, Alyssa Long, and Sam Houston also presented Vote America to Wagner High School in San Antonio in September to approximately 650 students. David Courreges presented Vote America to the social study teachers with the Austin Independent School District on August 18. TYLA Director, Danny Razo has also presented Vote America to students at Horizon High School in El Paso. Liberty High School in Frisco, Texas is currently presenting Vote America to its students as part of its curriculum, and Princeton Independent School District in Collin County is in the planning stages of arranging a Vote America Rollout with its TYLA local affiliate.

Since the school year started, TYLA members have already presented Vote America stretching from Texarkana, to Collin County, to Austin, to San Antonio, and all the way to El Paso. As the school year unfolds, more Vote America presentations will continue to happen. If you are interested in presenting Vote America to a school in your area, please contact Kimberly Smith at (972)948-6637 or ksaggie00@yahoo.com to find out more about Vote America presentations.