Election Day 2010 (PHOTOS): Kids Help Parents Vote At The Polls

PHOTOS: Kids At The Polls

Election day offers parents a chance to turn the act of voting into a "teachable moment."

Wire photos of Tuesday's elections include multiple scenes of children at the polls. Whether it was a conscious decision of a simple lack of childcare that prompted parents to bring their kids, an experience at the polls can only be a good thing for children.

The Orange County Register's Amy Stevens described her memories of voting with her mother and encouraged others to do the same with their children:

I remember trekking to our local polling place in Mission Viejo and entering the cardboard booth with my mom. She always had her sample ballot filled out in advance, and she'd let me punch the ballot according to her selections. (Yes, I grew up in the time when we still had a punch ballot!) I loved wearing the super-cool "I voted" sticker the rest of the day.

I knew even as a very young child that voting was special and important. My parents explained to me that not everyone gets to vote, some people in far away countries don't have a say in what laws are made or who makes them. I never took for granted the magic that is our democratic process.

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