Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

Young Voters -Very Much Informed

Yes, these young voters -- and there were many of them this past Tuesday as very few have left for college -- were among the best educated and most informed voters, in my opinion, within the school district.

I think you would be shocked to read the essays they wrote in their POD classes throughout the year about the school levies, property taxes versus income tax, state school funding and the benefits and the costs. Many of them wrote how several unit of governments had lost revenue due to the economic downturn and taxpayers had to make difficult choices. They did a ton of research on the issue. Several of them did not share the same opinion as their parents did. A few even log onto to this website and wrote about the opinions on this site.

In addition, I think you would be very surprise how these young men and young women understand the value of a dollar. To say, an increase in property tax on their parent home will not affect them when they leave for college is inaccurate. In fact, most will tell you just the opposite. If their parents must pay more to support the community schools, there is less available to pay for their college education.

And, by the way, several of the young voters that my son called did not participate in sports, but were members of the National Honor Society.

I guess some people within the community need to be more informed about how informed our young voters are!

I agree, Almost...

I congratulate and applaud those first time voters for being well informed and casting their vote as they saw fit. I agree that many young people in this and other communities see fit to get involved and try to stay informed on today's issues.

My comments were addressed to the ''several young voters'' and their friends that needed to be called from the parking lot and reminded to vote the day of the election! This is not the time to make a decision on a vote that has been many months in the making and that will have implications far beyond today.

Hopefully, the next time these ''informed'' voters have this opportunity, someone will inform them when and where to vote before the day of the vote. Maybe this will give them the time that is needed to look at all sides of the issue. At that point, vote as their heart and brains tell them to.

M.W.U. unleashed

Ah Mark,

I see Lori Sanders has let you off her leash. Does she know you're out sniffing in other people's backyards, or did she tell you you're free now that the levy has passed? Sit! Stay! Beg! Go home, boy!

By nobody's puppet

How about an answer to part 2?

Mark,

Thanks for the answer on the legality of collecting names at polling places. I suspect it is a something then that is abused by both sides of various issues. (And that is an entirely different discussion at another time...)

As to part two of my question though... the voting list was being compared to another list of names. What was the source of those names? I voted late in the day. When I got home there was a message on my answering machine encouraging me to vote. I have children in the school system. My neighbor, two friends, and four relatives, none of which have children in the schools and all of which voted late in the day, received no such telephoned encouragement. How did the phone bank know of school parents only? Were those names supplied by the schools? or PEA? And if so, I can't believe that isn't a privacy act violation somewhere.

Regards..