On October 11th, Toll Gate hosted a mock election working with the Department of State to educate high school students on the election process and how the election process works. In the heat of a very close presidential election, it is important for the students to understand how important one vote is in the grand scheme of things. On the day of this mock election at Toll Gate, the students were able to go through the motions of a legitimate presidential election.
Senior and AP Government and Politics student, Emma Hindle summarizes what took place during the mock election: “There were people who work for the Senate there, they informed us about the process of voting and then they had a ballot counter. We all got ballots for the president and we got to put our ballot into the machine where the ballots were counted. We all got “I voted” stickers and Kamala won the presidential election.” The mock election was indeed a realistic and exciting way to educate students on the voting process. Many students attended and all were delighted with the way the election process works.
Another AP Government and Politics student, Emma Hindle describes all that she learned from the mock election event: “I learned the importance of voting and how our own vote matters and how easy it is to vote and about the process of doing so.” Many students were unaware of how much value a single vote can have. It may be believed that one vote will not make much of a difference. However, this could not be further from the truth. Every vote matters.
When seniors, Emma Hindle and Katelyn Watson were asked if they enjoyed their experience at the mock election, the answer was unanimous:
“I did enjoy the mock election. It was a very educational experience.”
“I did enjoy the mock election. It was interesting to see and nice as I cannot vote in this election. It was good preparation for when I can vote.”
On the whole, the mock election was a very educational experience for all of the students who attended. The kids were able to witness and participate in a simulation of the presidential election. The Toll Gate students were educated on how important one vote can be, how easy it is to vote, and on the different ways citizens can vote. Not only was the mock election a great learning experience for the students, it was also a very fun experience. The students were all excited about receiving an “I voted” sticker and were excited to take a break from their classes as well.
It is important for all of our citizens, (especially teenagers), who are voting in this election to understand the importance of voting kindly. It is important to look at each other as fellow Americans and not as enemies. It is important for high schoolers to understand the importance of letting each person have their own opinions. It is important to know that at the end of the day, Americans are Americans. Crack a joke once in a while, laugh a little, this election is not the end of the world. Where do penguins go to vote? The North Poll.
