by Kaja Fickes and Kelly Moore
Election Day is only two days away. With the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and women's suffrage, the Hingham Girl Scouts decided to celebrate by participating in a National Girl Scouts service project to Promote the Vote: "Our goal is to mobilize Hingham to take action like a Girl Scout."
In preparation for this project, Notre Dame Academy Junior Carolyn Kennedy and the League of Women Voters Hingham's Chapter Chair Cathe Schetzline delivered a breakfast Zoom program to talk about the importance of voting in our democracy. Of note, Carolyn is an Ambassador Girl Scout and she is pursuing a Gold Award focusing on civic engagement; on the Zoom call, she highlighted what inspires her to take on this subject and what she's been doing to engage her peers and community.
Hingham Girl Scouts from Daisies through Cadettes have made yard signs currently displayed in the front lawn of Town Hall, Hingham’s early voting site. The girls also created short videos to promote voting which have been shared on Hingham Girl Scout’s Social Media platforms, Facebook and Instagram. The girls continue to conduct outreach to hundreds of their female friends and family of voting age encouraging them to promise a Girl Scout they'll vote.
Many troops have also earned Democracy badges. Although most girls are too young to cast a ballot, they still tested their voting skills through mock elections to vote on stuffed animals and snacks! State Representative Joan Meschino graciously came to a troop meeting earlier in the month to help the girls work on the Democracy badge. Joan talked to the girls about her job, the election process, and the 100th anniversary of women being able to vote.
The Town Clerk is holding Early Voting at the Town Hall, 210 Central Street, in the Central Meeting Room on the Second Floor. Early Voting ends October 30th and the polls will be open on Election Day from 7am to 8pm. Please be prepared and promise a Girl Scout you will vote!
