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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Boardman Glenwood Junior High students casted their votes for the mock election on Nov. 1 during their history class.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Anna Leshinsky and Vinh Nguyen worked the voter registration line during the mock election on Nov. 1 at Boardman Glenwood Junior High.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.One of the students submitted her ballot after voting in the mock election at Boardman Glenwood Junior High on Nov. 1.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Students checked in before they voted in the mock election at Boardman Glenwood Junior High on Nov. 1.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Elizabeth Amstutz handed a voter a pencil and an "I love voting" sticker after she voted in the mock election on Nov. 1 at Glenwood Junior High.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Glenwood Junior High students prepared to cast their ballots on Nov. 1 during their own mock election.
Seventh- and eighth-grade students took time from their history classes to take part in voting for student council and the next United States President. The students prepared for the mock election by learning about the two presidential candidates in class and listening to speeches from the students running for student council.
“I think it’s fun to prepare for the future and for what we are going to do when we get older,” said eighth-grader Elizabeth Amstutz.
This isn’t the first time Glenwood Junior High has hosted mock elections. Every four years the students vote for the presidential candidates, but this was the first time the ballots contained the names for the student council nominees.
“The thing that makes this election different is that we have been working in conjunction with the Board of Elections. That we have never done before,” said American History teacher Vince Carnevale.
The Board of Elections brought in voting booths and real time voting counters. The voting counters allow the ballots to be counted instantaneously which leads to the results to be determined by the end of the day.
Hosting mock elections helps prepare the students for when they turn 18 and are able to legally vote in the elections.
“This gives them a chance now so when they do vote in four years, or beyond, they’re going to know how they go about the process. From checking into the poll place, to taking the ballot into the voting booth and to even submitting the ballot to make sure it’s counted,” said Carnevale. “This is all real world so it gives them a good idea of what to expect in the future when they go to vote for political elections.”
At the end of the school day, the Board of Elections returned to pack up the supplies and help Carnevale make sure the ballots were counted correctly. After the ballots were counted, the students found out which students won for student council and what presidential candidate had received the most votes.