Paul Ryan Sends Much-Needed Election PSA: Bring Your Kids To The Polls!

Paul Ryan knows the importance of taking his kids to the polls. The Vice Presidential candidate returned home from the campaign trail to spend Election Day with his family in Wisconsin. Ryan brought his three young children to the local library where his vote would be cast. And it’s a good thing he did.

A recent study found the only reliable indicator of a child’s engagement in political matters was their parents.

The single best predictor of whether a person will vote when first eligible and will later become a lifelong voter comes down to one discreet action by that person’s parent: Whether that parent voted in the presidential election just before their child could vote.

The benefits of Paul Ryan bringing his children to vote were even more immediate than the influence it will have on their future civic engagement.  Despite jumping to the front of the line, the family had to wait before getting a hold of the ballot when the woman verifying voter registration could not immediately find their names on the list. While Ryan might have felt his silver tie getting tight (can you imagine if some glitch meant they weren’t actually registered to vote?), his daughter saved the day.  Ten-year-old Liza Ryan helped the woman out, spotting their name from across the table and pointing to the words “Paul D. Ryan.”

Ryan then took Liza along with his youngest child, 7-year-old Sam, into the voting booth to complete the ballot. The proud father took a few minutes to speak with press before heading off to watch the election returns with the rest of his team.

”It’s a great tradition,” Ryan said after voting. ”It’s Election Day. I’m very excited to be here. I’ve been voting here a long time.”

I can remember going to my local high school with my parents to vote when I was Liza’s age. I didn’t know who my parents had chosen to vote for, but it didn’t matter. The energy in the room informed me that what was happening in that gymnasium was important to my future. That feeling must be magnified for the daughter of a candidate. No matter the outcome, Liza will carry that memory with her for the rest of her life.

(photo: meltechfoto / Shutterstock.com)