By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Washington’s Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is continuing the state’s work in educating our children on the importance of civic responsibility and their role as voters on both the state and federal levels.
In an effort to educate and encourage students to participate in the electoral process when they are of age, the Office of the Secretary of State will host its 2024 Student Mock Election, which provides K-12 students statewide with the opportunity to learn and experience what it is like to cast their votes for both candidates and initiatives.
“Our office is very interested in trying to engage young people in elections,” says Hobbs. “So, not only have there been laws passed to entice young people into voting, like you can vote in the primary if you are 18 in the general election, but also 17-year-olds can actually vote in elections. And of course, we have had the Motor Voter Law where 16-year-olds can preregister.”
“And then we have been pushing this program, a mock election, to get young people involved and excited about the process,” added Hobbs.
According to Hobbs, the Student Mock Election is a non-partisan, educational platform that teaches children to be informed voters. Through the March 12 Presidential Primary, students in Washington state are welcome to partake by informing the major political parties who they think should be nominated for president.
The Office of the Secretary of State provides a free teacher toolkit to help educators host mock elections, which includes tabulation sheets, mock ballots, posters, Voter Pamphlets, lesson plan materials, and access to “I Voted” stickers. The participation dashboard will show student participation by school and grade level.
“This is an opportunity for children and young adults to learn how easy and impactful voting is,” Hobbs said. “I invite educators throughout the state to use the many free resources available to get students excited about civic engagement.”
“The elections include the presidential election and the general elections. The elections are coordinated by the teachers and the great thing is they are going to look exactly like the ballots your parents are going to get,” continued Hobbs. “I would definitely tell the teachers to get involved, do it now, do it early, get the students excited about it. We have curriculum that is attached to the ballots to help educate students about voting. Of course, I would assume that the teacher has voted so they know what they are doing.”
Students who are at least 16 can pre-register online or using a paper registration form to be automatically registered to vote when they become eligible. Those who will be 18 by November 5 can vote in this year’s Presidential Primary and August Primary elections.
According to Hobbs, because there are people around the world who don’t have a say in who gets to represent them, it is important that we instill the values of voting in our young people both at home and in school.
“It is important, picking your next leader to lead the country,” says Hobbs. “And I would say it is just as important, you’re picking leaders for our state, you’re picking who is going to represent you in your state legislature, and depending on where you live, you could have a local race in there, but for the most part, the mock is state and federal and you have the potential to vote on several initiatives that can have a huge policy impact on the state.”
“So, it is incumbent upon people to stay involved,” Hobbs adds. “If you are angry with government or it makes you upset, what better way to make your voice heard than picking someone to represent you. Our Student Mock Election helps prepare students for lifelong participation and teaches the importance of democracy in our country.”
In November, the students will see a ballot very similar to what everybody is getting from the presidential elections all the way down to your statewide electives. Ballots will represent all of the federal electives and statewide elections and some initiatives in there too. Getting young people involved early has been an initiative the Secretary of State’s office has been engaged in over the past two decades and the Secretary of State urges parents and teachers to collaborate on this program.
“Hey, young people need to get involved,” says Hobbs. “They are eventually going to have a voice and I encourage teachers to jump on board with this. I encourage parents to contact their children’s teachers and tell them to do this and get them in early. Civics starts now and we have to get young people involved. Every school district has this opportunity.”
