Mapleton Scout takes interest in voting process
By Dina Harding
Special to The Star-Herald
MAPLETON — This past Election Day, Nov. 8, Colton Harding, a Webelo Cub Scout and resident of Mapleton, visited the voting booths at the Mapleton Fire Station to take an active part in learning more about the voting process and applying it to what he has learned in school about elections and local government, as well as to complete some requirements for the Scholar Activity Badge in Webelo Cub Scouts.
Colton, a fifth-grader, age 10, who attends a private Christian academy online, was escorted to the polls by his mother, Dina Harding, and was joined in his learning experience by his younger sister, Courtney Harding, a third-grader, age 8, who also attends the same academy online.
Photo courtesy of Dina Harding
WEBELO CUB SCOUT and Mapleton resident Colton Harding visited the Mapleton Fire Station Nov. 8 to learn more about the election process. Assisting Harding with his “ballot” are, from left: Mapleton, Castle Hill and Chapman’s ballot clerk Katie Buck and Election Warden Sue Skidgell.
Colton’s goal was to gain first-hand experience in what the voting process entails, and to put into practice real citizenship and take personal responsibility as a member of a community, state and nation, thereby solidifying his understanding about the constitution of Maine and its amendments, and the overall election process. Since Mapleton was also initiating a local ballot vote for a new SAD 1 board member, Colton was also able to more thoroughly make the connection of his newly acquired knowledge regarding the history of schools, how they are organized, and how some school officials are elected to the school board via the voting process.
Upon arrival, the Hardings were greeted by Election Warden Sue Skidgell, who also provided Colton with a sample ballot to review. After the Hardings’ official registration process was completed, Colton and his family were then able to enter a curtained voting booth, where he began reading the official instructions for casting votes, as well as the subject matter at hand for both the local Mapleton ballot regarding the election of a school board member, and the State of Maine Referendum ballot questions.
After the Harding family’s votes were marked, both Colton and Courtney officially participated in the election by dropping their mother’s votes into the two separate locked ballot boxes respectively, one for Mapleton and one for the State of Maine, and both of which were carefully proctored by Mapleton’s ballot clerk, Katie Buck. After the votes were cast, both Skidgell and Buck were gracious with their time by answering a few of Colton’s questions before distributing ‘I Voted’ stickers to Colton and Courtney, and then posing for a couple memorable pictures together in front of the ballot boxes at the Mapleton voting site.
