Chelsea Clinton showed up at a polling station on West 20th Street in Manhattan to find that her name wasn't on the voter rolls. Republican Representative Steve Chabot of Ohio could not vote because the addresses on his ID and registration didn't match (Chabot went on to win his race, but it was close). But no such problems were found at a certain Arlington (VA) polling location, where turnout was close to 100 percent, and things went off without a hitch. Last Monday, Taylor Elementary School held its student council elections. A small room, equipped with four laptops (yup, electronic ballots) served as polling station. Candidates were present, too, and enthusiastic about partaking in the democratic process. Nine-year-old Alisha Hiskey, who ran for vice president, couldn't contain herself: "Is it fun? Is it fun?" she asked her peers who emerged from the voting booths. Most nodded that yes, in fact, it was, although Megan Koch, 10, found the new computer system a bit disconcerting. "I have a sibling in first grade," she said, "and I think she's going to be more used to the computer. It will come more naturally." We know, Megan--it's tough to keep up with the youngsters.
"Young V. Voters Go High Tech, Show Very High Tolerance," by Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, November 7, 2006