45,000 Ore. students to cast mock-election ballots

Like father, like son? Not necessarily — at least, not when it comes to how they’re voting in this year’s elections.

In Oregon’s Student Mock Election, being held at schools across the state this week, the idea is not to predict how the “real” election will turn out, but to teach kids the importance of citizenship.

Voter turnout is expected to be brisk, with kids from grade school through high school taking part. About 45,000 are expected to cast their ballots.

Teachers have a half-dozen civics-related lesson plans to choose from in the weeks leading up to the vote, from the history of women’s voting rights to why voting makes a difference in a democracy.

The League of Women Voters of Oregon runs the program. The idea is to spark an early interest in being an informed and involved citizen, LWV administrator Rebecca Smith says.

“A lot of information out there makes students feel disempowered,” said Smith. “So it’s important to teach them that this is actually a powerful exercise — learning about the issues and the candidates and placing that vote.”

At Hines Middle School near Burns, teacher Toni Recanzone says she uses the lessons every year, not just in election years.

She says they prompt some great classroom discussion, even from students who are several years away from being able to cast real ballots.

“They’re wishing they were 18 and could vote,” Recanzone said. “One of the things I focus on is the opportunity to learn the procedure. That’s what we really stress at this age — not only learning the Constitution, but how that plays out.”

About 140 students at Hines Middle School will be voting this week. The Oregon vote is part of a national “My Voice” mock election, and Oregon’s results will be tallied with those from other states.

The Mock Election results will be announced a few days before the general election. But Smith says don’t expect comparisons to the “real thing.”

“This is an educational exercise, and we don’t want the emphasis on it of any kind of predictor or poll,” she said. “We want the students to feel like their vote is relevant, and not based on what their parents might do.”

Also this week, some teachers from Japan are visiting Oregon to see how the Mock Election process works, so they can try it in their own schools.

Chris Thomas of Oregon News Service prepared this report.