Governor Mifflin High School students gained insight into the electoral process this week during a schoolwide mock election.
Students visited the gymnasium, which had been decorated and organized to resemble a polling station, throughout the school day on Monday and Tuesday to cast their ballot. The mock ballot, while not as extensive as an official election ballot, allowed students to make their voices heard in the presidential, Senate, and U.S. House of Representative races. Students were also asked a referendum question.
This activity was coordinated by the Governor Mifflin High School AP Government class under the guidance of Mr. Christian Hole, social studies teacher.
At all junctions of the project, Hole and his class aimed to replicate the voting process as closely as possible. Members of the class put themselves in the various roles of poll workers, such as checking in each student, orienting students on how to cast their vote, and handing out “I Voted” stickers. The class will also be responsible for tallying votes and analyzing the data after the fact.
While this activity aims to give all students an insight into what the voting process entails, it also has taught Hole’s AP Government students about the effort that is put in to running a polling location and the important role of volunteers in elections.
“The mock election was a fantastic example of total experience learning (TEL) for the entire student body. I’m so proud of our AP U.S. Government students for the countless hours they spent planning and conducting the mock election. It was also impressive to witness the excitement and engagement of our high school students – from freshmen to seniors – while participating in the electoral process,” said Hole.
While this may have been a mock election, some students were also provided with a real opportunity to engage in the political process. Students who are of voting age and had not yet registered to vote were encouraged to do so and an area was provided for these students to complete their voter registration online. Although these students will not be eligible to vote in the 2024 election, Hole hopes that completing this step will remove a barrier and encourage these students to engage in their civic duty for future elections.
