VOTE IN HONOR OF A VETERAN

During the history of our great "Nation, conceived in Liberty" millions of Americans fought a relentless battle against the enemies of freedom with no alternative but to succeed. When faced with such perilous challenges men and women have risked everything with tremendous courage, hope and perseverance to protect these freedoms. The most basic of these freedoms for Americans is the right to vote.

Since the ratification of the 26^th Amendment lowering the voting age to 18 in 1972, our country has observed a 20% decrease in voting among 19-24 year olds. It has been estimated in recent elections that although this generation makes up 39% of the voting age population, less than 20% of them go to the polls. We must, therefore, look to young Nebraskan’s who are still in school to help lead us out of this trend by becoming active citizens and life-long voters.

One way we can try to instill the importance of voting into this age group is by using one of our most valuable resources-our veterans. The lives of these men and women are heroic as they made sacrifices to ensure our democracy and the freedom it sheds upon us all endures. By casting your vote you are not only selecting your preference for candidates and issues on the ballots, you are honoring our veterans and supporting our form of government.

My office recently released a video regarding our Vote in Honor of a Veteran program. We have sent a copy of this video to each high school Social Sciences Department in the state. We also mailed out a copy to each County Clerk and the Veterans Service Officer of every county.

The video centers on the gripping tale of Bernard W. Nider of Lincoln, who was one of the first liberators to reach the hard-fought Omaha Beach at Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The video features Mr. Nider telling his story to a high school class. The video also includes comments by Major General Roger Lempke, Adjutant General for the Nebraska Military Department, and Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale.

The video is approximately 45 minutes long and was professionally produced by Nebraska Educational Television. We believe the video would make a fine addition to social studies, civics and history classes. It is our hope the County Clerks and Veterans Service Officers will use it for County Government Day and other programs within their organizations. Anyone interested in using this video for a program for a civics club or other organization, should contact either their County Clerk or their Veterans Service Officer.

Vote in Honor of a Veteran has a simple goal. By telling the experiences of the Nebraska veterans who protected our country and the freedoms we cherish, we hope our young people will be able to personalize the importance of being an active citizen and lifelong voter. By voting in honor of a veteran, you are saying thank you for their sacrifice.