04/02/1998 08:00 AM House STA

CSSCR 22(STA) - KIDS VOTING ALASKA PROGRAMS                                    
                                                                               
CHAIR JAMES announced the next order of business is CSSCR 22(STA),             
Relating to promotion of Kids Voting Alaska programs, sponsored by             
Senator Miller.                                                                
                                                                               
Number 0236                                                                    
                                                                               
MARY GORE, Legislative Assistant to Senator Mike Miller, Alaska                
State Legislature, indicated there isn't a sponsor statement                   
because it is self-explanatory.  Basically the resolution supports             
Kids Voting Alaska program which began in Fairbanks in 1992.  She              
stated Kids Voting is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization funded             
by businesses, (primarily Alyeska, National Bank of Alaska and                 
Carrs Quality Center) and is operated by hundreds of volunteers                
across the state.                                                              
                                                                               
MS. GORE said the goal is to teach Alaska youth about the                      
fundamental democratic principals of voting and promote good                   
lifelong voting habits.  The curriculum will be taught in at least             
35 school districts during the school year and during the next                 
general election.  About 90 percent of kids eligible around the                
state (120,000) will have the opportunity to vote in the general               
election.                                                                      
                                                                               
MS. GORE indicated she heard about the program through Senator                 
Duncan's staff who actually worked the polls in Juneau, and her                
kids started talking at the dinner table about the different issues            
that were going to be on the ballot and about the different people             
that were up for election.  They started encouraging their parents.            
The children said, "We need to vote mom, we have to go to the poll             
on the day that they're going to have the election."  Ms. Gore said            
she couldn't say if there was a larger turn out at the polls in                
Juneau, but she does know that one family felt it was unqualified              
success just based on the discussion that it led to at their own               
dinner table.                                                                  
                                                                               
Number 0251                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE HODGINS noted this is a good idea.  He asked if it's            
self-explanatory and there's no reason for a sponsor statement why             
is there a committee substitute.                                               
                                                                               
MS. GORE replied in a committee on the Senate side they added two              
more people that they wanted the resolution sent to.                           
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE RYAN said he tracked the kids' voting candidates,               
their votes versus the general election, and there was a wide                  
disparity between how the kids voted from what they heard in school            
and how the general population voted.  He indicated it favored                 
people not particularly in his party.                                          
                                                                               
CHAIR JAMES stated, in that respect, there is that concern and                 
especially in the conservative ranks.  She said she shares the                 
concern for the education that we're giving our children not being             
balanced in many cases.  A balanced education is very important and            
we shouldn't be on one side or the other of the issue.  Chair James            
mentioned the teachers in the North Pole school have done a very               
good job of making it balanced.                                                
                                                                               
MS. GORE noted that the program itself, the curriculum, is designed            
to be nonpartisan.                                                             
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE BERKOWITZ observed the students are voting the right            
way because they're studying the issues.                                       
                                                                               
Number 0271                                                                    
                                                                               
REPRESENTATIVE IVAN IVAN made a motion to move CSSCR 22(STA) out of            
committee with individual recommendations and attached zero fiscal             
note.  There being no objection, CSSCR 22(STA) moved out of the                
House State Affairs Standing Committee.