Your Vote is Your Voice

It is hard to believe 5 1/2 months have passed since I was crowned Miss Vermont 2008! What an incredible experience. The people, opportunities, memories, personal, and professional development of these experiences will be with me for a lifetime.

The last three weeks were spent in Los Angeles for the filming of TLC's Countdown to the Crown. There is not much I can say about the show but I can tell you that it will air on TLC in January and that I am grateful for having three weeks to form incredible bonds and friendships with some of this nation's most articulate, talented, and decorated young women.

Now I am back in VT and and it is time to hit the ground not just running but full out sprinting. Tomorrow starts my voter registration drive. There are 21 days until the election and I plan to register as many voters as I can between now and then. Young voters make up 21% of the eligible voting population. That is a political force to recon with! No candidate can ignore the issues young people face today.

Check the "appearance" page of www.missvermont.org to track my steps. I will visit two high schools and six colleges in ten days registering voters. But my quest towards a more politically active state does not end with voter registration or with 18-29 year olds. I will also be visiting elementary schools to teach younger students about the importance of political action. The Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee of the 1960's started with 4 young people hungry for change. The SNCC subsequently coordinated sit-ins, freedom rides, and non-violent marches that shaped a political era. I am excited about bringing this message to younger students because it is important for us all to remember that political involvement does not begin or end by casting a ballot. Voting is one very important tool for participating in this democracy but there are many ways to get your voice heard.

The vision of a few determined women started the movement in Seneca Falls, New york, 1848, that resulted in my right to cast a ballot. When I cast my ballot in November I will cast it remembering the fight of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her sisters in justice.

I hope you will all join me in voting!

All My Best,
Your Miss Vermont