Preparing future voters: Kingston educator creates free resources to teach children about municipal elections

By Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist and Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

Ontarians must be at least 18 years of age to vote in the upcoming municipal elections this month. However, local educator Erin Clow says, democracy and the role of local elections in it are not topics we should wait until age 18 to talk about. 

Clow arrived in Kingston in 2010 and obtained her PhD in political studies at Queen’s University. She currently works at the Human Rights & Equity Office at Queen’s, and held faculty appointments teaching a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate courses.

Clow is also running to represent Portsmouth and Sydenham as Limestone District School Board Trustee.

Concerned with the trend of younger Canadians voting at lower rates than older age groups, and with the municipal election approaching, Clow decided to create a collection of free educational resources designed to make municipal elections an accessible and engaging topic for children.

Listen to the full story here, where Clow sit down with CFRC to share more about her Learn About Elections resources.