Education

Million Students and Parents To Pull ‘Mock’ Election Levers

October 12, 1988 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As voters prepare to go to the polls next month, a group of education, political, and business organizations is planning a “mock election’’ to teach students and their parents about voting.

Scheduled to take place on Nov. 3, five days before the general election, the mock election will involve some 5 million parents and students in grades K-12, who will cast their votes for President and state their positions on a range of national issues.

The project has been endorsed by President Reagan, as well as the chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties. Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald R. Ford serve as its honorary co-chairmen.

About 2 million people participated in a similar project in 1984, according to Gloria Kirshner, president and treasurer of the National Student/Parent Mock Election.

Although this year’s results will be broadcast nationwide by cable television from the New York City headquarters of Time Magazine, the project’s sponsor, the election is not aimed at gauging the political preferences of precollegiate students, Ms. Kirshner said.

“Our profession is education, not polling,” she said. “The whole purpose of the mock election is to turn around the apathy that keeps young people and their parents from going to the polls.”

“Once they have participated” in the mock election, she added, “they get very excited about actually getting involved in a real-world process.”

If successful, Ms. Kirshner predicted, the project could have an impact on students’ lives be4yond the voting booth.

“The same sense of powerlessness that keeps a youngster from going to the polls also keeps them from staying in school,” she said.

To ensure the project’s educational focus, several states and districts have developed voter-education curricula and registration programs to go along with participation in the mock election.

The National Association of State Boards of Education and the American Association of School Administrators, along with Time Magazine, will honor states and districts that come up with innovative education projects, Ms. Kirshner said.

In addition, some 23 U.S. senators have sponsored a speech-writing contest, in which young people will be asked to write on the Constitution and the right to vote. Winning entries will be published in the Congressional Record.

For more information about the project, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: The National Student/Parent Mock Election, P.O. Box 36883, Tucson, Ariz. 85704; or call (800) 523-5948.

--rr

A version of this article appeared in the October 12, 1988 edition of Education Week as Million Students and Parents To Pull ‘Mock’ Election Levers

Events

Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Privacy & Security Webinar
Navigating Cybersecurity: Securing District Documents and Data
Learn how K-12 districts are addressing the challenges of maintaining a secure tech environment, managing documents and data, automating critical processes, and doing it all with limited resources.
Content provided by Softdocs

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 13, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read