VIDEO: Secretary Hosemann Visits Local Schools Encouraging Voter Turnout for Younger Crowds

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Secretary of State, Delbert Hosemann is travelling the state working to get young people actively involved in the political process.

Today, he was in the Golden Triangle, giving a history lesson about the state’s bicentennial, and a Civics lesson with his Promote the Vote program.

This year’s Promote the Vote is interesting because it falls on the bicentennial of Mississippi.

State leadership sees this as an opportunity to show students our past and also show how the future is affected when we go to the polls to vote or don’t.

The book, A Bicentennial History of Mississippi, was written by the state department as part of the program, Promote the Vote.

“They are all paying attention; they’re interested in this. We wrote is that way so these young men and women would be interested in reading their history and then going forward,” said Hosemann.

PTV normally focuses on the importance of voting in local and federal elections.

“They need to understand that it makes a difference and they are the decision-makers in what they believe in and their thoughts and just having an opportunity to have input, I think, is important,” said Superintendent of SOCSD, Eddie Peasant.

This year, the State Department sees another angle that emphasizes the importance of voting.

“We didn’t have an election to actually cast ballots, so we thought ‘It’s Mississippi’s 200th year. It only comes along every 200 years, so let’s talk about our history and then lets talk about where you want the state to go and that will lead to the polls, eventually,” said Hosemann.

Hearing words from elected leaders encourages students who are becoming eligible to vote.

“I’m really excited because I’m an opinionated guy. I like my voice to be heard. It’s real interesting to play a role in what’s going on in America, in Mississippi, in Starkville,” said Starkville Academy student, Garner Montgomery.

Secretary Hosemann hopes this program will encourage students to do more than simply vote, maybe even fill the shoes of state leadership when the time comes.

“Any man that I think is worth their weight realizes that if you get elected, you’re just holding a place for the future. I can just tell you, you come to a place where these kids are getting educated like this and they pay attention like that you just know there’s a bright future for Mississippi,” said Hosemann.

Currently 288 schools are a part of Promote the Vote, over sixty thousand students.

Maybe one of those students could in fact become a leader in our state’s future.