Dear Boy Scouts of America Leaders:

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate enthusiastically embraces the Boy Scouts of America mission of preparing young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime. He is an Eagle Scout and is proud to help the scouting program any way he can.

Our office strives to help young people learn more about elections and give them the opportunity to “practice” voting. These programs teach them lifelong lessons about civic responsibility while instilling an understanding about the voting process. Several clubs and organizations, as well as schools, participated last fall. We are hosting one this spring on Tuesday, April 24.

Please feel free to pass along the information to your troops!

For several years we have encouraged youth participation through the local schools with The Iowa Youth Straw Poll. We invite your Boy Scout troops to participate, too. The statewide poll date is Tuesday, April 24 but that may or may not coincide with your troop schedule so you can hold the election at your convenience prior to that date.

Some of your troop members may have also participate through their school classroom, but that is okay. The purpose of the Iowa Youth Straw Poll is to allow students to experience the voting process. The more experience they have, the more likely they are to be fully-engaged in the future with a sense of civic duty when they become adults. Here is how it works:

1. Your troop registers online to our Secretary of State’s office. We will send you details and additional resources. Click https://sos.iowa.gov/youth/poll/registration.aspx 2. We will send two questions for students to vote. The questions relate to the Governor’s race and the U.S. Congressional race.
2. After the vote is complete, submit your club’s results online and we will post the information on our social media platforms. We encourage you to share your club’s voting experience on State of Iowa website and our social media platforms.
3. We encourage you to share your club’s voting experience on social media and to assist you, we will send more information when you register.
4. This project is a “teachable moment.” We encourage you to talk with your students about why voter participation is important. Our Elections101.com website has additional free curriculum that you can use or modify for your Boy Scout troops. You can access and use any–or all–of the potential curriculum. Click www.elections101.org

Can we count on you to take the lead with your club this year and use this great opportunity to teach them about our elections and give them an opportunity to “try out voting?”

Thank you for your consideration of this great statewide civic event! And thank you for all you do with the Boy Scouts of America programs to foster model citizens. Please give me a call at (515) 725-0427 if you have additional questions. Most sincerely,