For Our Granddaughters & Us, We’re Calling it Loud & Clear: Kamala Crushes It!

(According to our calculations, informed projections, and artistic prowess powered by hope, Kamala Harris sweeps ALL the “Swing States,” winning more than 320 Electoral Votes.)

(The New York Sunday Times runs a special “Kids” section once per month. This month’s feature focused on The Presidential Election, including an Electoral College Map inviting readers to complete. Our family decided to complete the map early.)

I am the proud Grandpa of three girls, ages 15, 13 and almost 9.

They are the center of our life.

They cry, we cry; they laugh, we laugh; they feel pain, we feel pain.

When someone does or says something cruel to one of my granddaughters, that person receives the “evil eye” (malocchio) from me for the rest of their days. The best interests of those girls have become the standard by which I judge others, and the actions of others.

Eight years ago, when the girls were much younger, I spent the entire month of October in North Carolina doing voter protection — in an open carry (guns) state — for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. To me, it meant everything to participate in reinforcing the legal voting process against the hateful, racist, anti-woman, criminal candidacy of Donald Trump. It was even more meaningful to me that our two older granddaughters knew I was away from home because I was trying to get the first woman President elected.

When I returned home after Election Day, 2016, my depression over the outcome was lifted by a delightful letter, festooned with hearts, from my oldest granddaughter, whose great sense of compassion soothed my feelings by writing, “what matters is that you did your very best, and worked for what you believed in.” I melted. Every moment in North Carolina, no matter how disappointing, was made worthwhile.

Fast forward to now, when we have a very strong chance of electing the first female President in this country’s 240+ year history. Our oldest granddaughter is now an incredible young person, an ardent advocate for women’s and human rights, with an extraordinary mind and heart. When I wore my “White Dudes for Harris,” hat, her only concern was that some “crazy” Trump supporters might hurt her “Grampy.” I reassured her that they never bother with us old, white guys.

This presidential election, her youngest sister, who will be nine years old next month, has eagerly enlisted in our efforts to repair the world. A voracious reader, and TV watcher, she alerts me every time she sees anything about Kamala Harris.

So, it was only natural that when the New York Sunday Times “Kids” section arrived this week, dedicated to “Election Day,” that I share it with her. Since she loves coloring with special pens, I knew she would love the “2024 Electoral College Map,” with its blank boxes to equal the number of Electoral Votes for each state. I figured that the best way to teach her about this historic election would be by coloring in the map together.

Naturally, since we live in California I suggested we start with our State. I asked her to color in all the “Blue States,” which, I informed her, were the ones where Kamala Harris had the best chance of winning. I told her I’d color the Red (Trump) states, and also a few “Pink” states that I thought could possibly tip toward Harris.

I picked up the blue and purple pens which looked similar in color and asked her to start with the blue one.

“Grampy, can’t you see the difference?” she said, holding the pens side by side. And, of course, she was correct.

She started coloring in the blank boxes in California on the New York Times Electoral Map, noticing the symbol “CA=54” under the outline of our State.

The almost 9-year old asked: “Why does California only get 54 votes when we have millions of people?” Her very first look at an “electoral college map,” and the inherent unfairness of our political system was immediately obvious to her.

It gave me the opening to try to explain the US political system to her, but like most kids her age with quick minds and artistic gifts, she wanted to get back to the fun task of coloring in the “Blue States.” To give her more to color, I pointed out all of the “swing” States, which I explained, I thought Kamala Harris was going to win. She particularly loved the shapes of Pennsylvania and New York.

When we got to North Carolina, I noted it was the state in which I worked on Hillary Clinton’s campaign when we tried hard to turn it blue, but now, I said, it looked “very good,” that Kamala Harris was going to succeed. She colored it blue even more vigorously. North Carolina was ours.

When she was done coloring BLUE the 27 states, and one Nebraska Congressional District which we projected Harris would win, I asked my granddaughter to now add up ALL of the “electoral” vote totals she saw underneath all of the Blue States she had just carefully colored.

She took out a reporters notebook pad and meticulously did her math, as only a bright, enthusiastic Third-Grader can. Step-by-step, she added her numbers, while I colored in the “Red” states, and took out the “Pink” pen to pick three long-shot states, which I thought the Harris/Walz ticket had an outside chance of winning: Texas, Florida & Iowa. However hopeful I was of Harris pulling an upset in those three states, I still added their 78 Electoral Votes to Trump’s total.

Then, I asked my granddaughter to reveal the total number of Blue State votes she tallied up for Harris: “322,” she announced, and highlighted the number with blue spikes around it, in a box. I double and triple checked her work and our independent tallies always came out to within 2 or 3 of each other, with me trusting her numbers more than mine.

“Well,” if our calculations are correct, “ I said to my youngest granddaughter, “Kamala Harris is going to be the first woman President of the United States.”

She smiled a big beautiful smile, as proud of the news of what we were predicting, as we both were of her awesome abilities in math, coloring, and now, a new introduction to government and politics.

In our book, Kamala Harris — and all girls like my granddaughters — had already won.