Politics

GSN

Reporting on health care, criminal justice, the economy and other important issues in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

'Is voting cool?' On Election Day, 2 future voters ask New Orleanians about voting

WWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Drew Hawkins

Published November 3, 2026 at 12:35 PM CST

Finnegan Hawkins, 8, interviews Michelle Knoll about voting and the Nov. 3 midterm elections at International School of Louisiana Westbank in New Orleans on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

With many Louisiana schools closed for Election Day, parents are scrambling to find childcare.

But if you’re the Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins, that means you have a few junior reporters — his daughter Eden and son Finnegan — out on the campaign trail with you for the day.

The two future voters took the opportunity to ask current New Orleans voters about the civic process and why they chose to exercise their right to vote.

The following transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

DREW HAWKINS, BYLINE:

It’s Bring Your Kids to Work Day here at the Gulf States Newsroom.

8-year-old Finnegan is still learning the art of the interview:

FINNEGAN HAWKINS: Can you please say and spell your name?

EDGERLY: Do you want my last name?

DREW HAWKINS: <<laughs>> Yes, you do. You want the last name.

We’re actually outside of their school in New Orleans, which is now a polling station for the day.

14-year-old Eden asks Ariana Ybarra — who’s sporting her ‘Just voted’ sticker — why voting is important.

YBARRA: I want the future to be a great place for you guys.

HAWKINS: The future comes up a lot. But so does the past. Here’s Kim Williams on why it matters.

WILLIAMS: A lot of people went through a lot of trouble and fought and, in some cases, lost their lives to give you that right.

HAWKINS: Our junior reporters want to know what the message would be for future voters. Michelle Knoll says it’s important to pay attention to politics — even if it can seem boring.

KNOLL: That's what shapes what our city looks like and how it functions. You don't have to just be mad about what's goin' on; you can try to change it.

HAWKINS: And a final litmus test for kids.

EDEN HAWKINS: Is voting cool?

YBARRA: Voting is cool. You definitely don't want to not vote. That is extremely uncool.

Voting is cool. And once the polls close, we’ll learn what voters decided.

For the Gulf States Newsroom, I’m Drew Hawkins.

This story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Alabama, WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana and NPR.