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Escambia Students Cast Votes In Mock Presidential Election
November 27, 2016
Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford partnered with Escambia County School District and Double Click Democracy, an online election service supported by the Lou Frey Institute at UCF and Kids Voting USA, in offering Escambia County students the opportunity to vote in a mock Presidential election. More than 10,000 students in multiple grade levels from various schools around the county participated in the online election and cast their ballot in two contests: President and Vice President, and United State Senator.
The students’ results matched actual results in the U.S. Senate contest, with Marco Rubio edging out Patrick Murphy. However, the students chose differently than Escambia County voters in the Presidential contest, selecting Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. A copy of the results is below.
“Our team was thrilled to play a role in offering area students the chance to participate in this election in a meaningful way,” said Stafford.
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office visits schools year-round, offering presentations on the elections process and the chance for students to cast demonstration ballots on actual voting equipment used in elections. Currently, voters aged 18 to 25 represent the second largest group of voters in Escambia County, but have the lowest voter participation rate in most elections.
“In our Social Studies classes we teach history and civics lessons and the responsibilities associated being be a citizen in our country. Voting is a right and becoming a regular educated voter is a responsibility,” said Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. “Our partnership with our county’s election office, and the many ways they give our students opportunities to vote on school level decisions, such as student government and favorite Sunshine books, by using real ballots and voting equipment helps introduce this responsibility as early as elementary school and is greatly appreciated.”
“By engaging students with hands-on voting experiences and election education at an early age, we hope to change this statistic,” added Stafford.
Comments
8 Responses to “Escambia Students Cast Votes In Mock Presidential Election”
I can tell you what I saw in one kindergarten on election day — the kids got to vote, but as they were too young to be following the presidential election, so they voted instead on what fun science experiment they would get to do that Friday. They voted to experiment with bubbles – they predicted what would make better bubbles solution A or B (B had sugar in it) and then what would work better – hot solution or cold. Then everyone got to take turns blowing bubbles and recording results (sorry, I don’t know the final results – I wasn’t there when they all finished but I can tell you kids were engaged in the process). Our local Supervisor of Elections and his staff have worked with our schools for a few years now finding opportunities for kids to vote using real ballots and real voting booths and the counting machine — and they get I Voted stickers — but they are voting on issues meaningful to them — such as their favorite Sunshine Book or student government officers….. when they get older and they can study history and civics they start voting for local and national offices. The hope is that as they get closer and closer to being able to vote “for real” that they will see this as something everyone does. Some schools make learning about the process the topic of special projects, or at Brown Barge it is a 12 week stream. If you could sit with those students for even 30 minutes I think you would be impressed. Channel 3 visited and interviewed the instructor for quite awhile — and then interviewed 4 of the students — watch this story and notice who they had tell most of the story! http://weartv.com/news/local/local-students-learn-from-the-2016-presidential-campaign Hopefully, some day they will run for office so we will be able to vote for them! And Mitchell, of course!
@ A mom
I know you mean well, and your daughter must be very young, but you are naive to take such a black and white stance. Suppose she comes to you pregnant and unmarried and unable to care for a child from a wild adolescent moment taking a chance as they all do, are you setting her up for unbelievable guilt? What if later she comes out as gay?
If some one voted for Trump because of pro life rhetoric, you are in for a surprise. He is more concerned with governing the whole county, as it should be.
I hope Planned Parenthood is funded yet, our borders made safe and keep our guns, and punishing murdering criminals.
That is interesting, and even the children often reflect what their parents say and think. I have to say, now that I am older I think they should raise the voting age to 50. (Just kidding) But it has taken me a lifetime to be able to attempt to be wise enough to attempt to cut through the rhetoric and history. Glad they had a chance to at least use the equipment. Watched an old movie last night from 1939, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Jimmy Stewart. Still relevant today. With all the problems in America, it is still the best government in the world. May it remain. God bless, pay attention, and look at the big picture.
We can’t talk religion in schools but we can talk politics. Teach Common core math but kids can’t read a tape measure. And now kids only have to print their name.
My question and an observation to this article…. With the many students voting, how could they be informed appropriately, intellectually and unbiased with the liberal environment surrounding them, especially elementary grade students? A child wishes to please and will “parrot” what an adult (grownup) will say…as with a teacher or one in authority.
This was a good effort made if these students were able to be pulled away from their great variety of electronic devices!
A Mom, has the bull by the horns by teaching her child the non-academic tenets of life such as honor, honesty, integrity, respect, patriotism and Christian values
Well atleast our children got the presidential election right. There is hope for our future.
Ah, and now students time for a lesson on the Electoral College which prevents larger populated areas from excluding the Citizens in smaller less represented communities.
A tip of the tri-cornered hat to ‘The Founding Fathers’ of this United States of America who were geniuses when it came to forming our laws in such a balanced and fair manner that their intent continues today.
God Bless the USA….and all of those who serve her.
I don’t know if kindergarten kids did this but if they did these numbers can’t be accurate because they’re not old enough to be told some of the stuff about Clinton, & if they did well the school s went over my head on my kid because I know for a fact my kid isn’t ready to discuss moms wanting to kill their babies. Some of these people in our school system seems to think that they should be able to do or say anything to our kids. The only thing I give these permission is to teach my kids learning like English Math History etc I will teach my own kid the rest. The only way to not get pregnant is don’t do anything, not well if you use a condomyour chances could be reduced, thank you but no thank you. I don’t want my kid thinking to vote somebody just because she’d be the first President & be history. I don’t want my kid to realize later on that they actually voted for this low life to make late abortions legal. I just told mine when I talked to her that the lady was Bad & she breaks laws & that she wasn’t a very good person to be our President.