Kathy Kreag Williams, Hamilton County Clerk of Circuit Court, recently spent time educating fifth graders at Hamilton Heights on the voting and election process. This timely program gave students an insightful lesson from a seasoned public servant.
“In social studies, students have been learning about the election process including: the system of government in the United States and Indiana, methods of voting, political party structures, election laws, and responsibilities of citizens,” explained Kelly Stroup, fifth-grade English and Social Studies teacher at Hamilton Heights. “It was an engaging and insightful civics learning opportunity for our students.”
“I learned that in order to be a candidate, you have to do many different things,” Nolan Kakasuleff said. “Another thing is that you have to register to vote, and you can do this in many different ways. Also depending on the population, the town may have more precincts. I think it is important to teach kids about voting because if they are interested in running when they are older, they will know the process.”
As part of the special program on the election and voting process, students were shown a sample screen of a voting machine. (Photo provided)
Ava Guffy said she learned plenty of new information about voting she didn’t know.
“I learned that it is important to vote because it helps the entire country get a new and maybe a better leadership than the last,” Guffy said. Like Kakasuleff, Guffy learned that you must register to be able to vote and there are different ways of voting, like through a paper ballot in person, online, and through the mail.
In her role, Williams serves as a member of the County Election Board and oversees the day-to-day operation of elections with Election Administrator Beth Sheller, as well as Election and Voter Registration staff. It is office’s responsibility to stay up to date on election laws and best practices to run efficient and fair elections.
Williams also looks for opportunities to find ways to educate voters and poll workers on the entire election process and how to get residents involved.
Williams served 26 years as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives, over 10 years (1982 to 1991 and again from 2019 to 2022) as Hamilton County Clerk and has been employed by the county for over 45 years.