Editor’s note: A previous version of this story ran on Democracy in Action’s website.

Andrew Hall, 3, has been to the polls a number of times already. His mother, Sarah Hall, votes every year and always brings her son.

“I think it’s important to instill that tradition and instill that habit at a young age,” said Hall, a 30-year-old reporter with Eagle Newspapers. She lives in Clay, N.Y.

“He’s come with me since he was an infant to the polls, and I want him to understand that this is something that you just do,” she said on Tuesday.

Hall hopes Andrew will vote when he is old enough. It is important for citizens to vote if they want a voice in democracy, Hall said. She added that voters should pay attention to the whole process from the beginning and not just vote a party line.

“That’s something that we talk about in our house pretty candidly,” Hall said. “I mean, he’s only 3, so it’s not something that he really understands, but it’s something that we talk about in our house. So I hope it’s something he carries with him.”

Hall is registered as a Democrat, but she doesn’t necessarily follow party lines.

“I vote for whomever I think is the best,” she said.

At the Town of Clay Town Hall on Tuesday, Hall said she voted for President Barack Obama in the presidential election, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Green Party congressional candidate Ursula Rozum.

But it’s not just the federal elections that concern her.

“It being a presidential year, you get a lot more interest in the local votes too, which is always good,” Hall said. “I wish that we could see this much interest when we have the town votes as well, because those are the votes that really affect us.”

Published on November 6, 2012 at 9:00 pm

Contact Cheryl: cjseligm@syr.edu | @CherylSeligman