Educators

On October 28, 2004, American students and parents in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and around the world will cast their votes for president, senators, congressmen, and governors (where there is a race) and on key national issues.

The only rule for participation in the National Student/Parent Mock Election is this: "There are no rules. The way that is right is the way that is right for you". We hope that you will consider enrolling and encouraging your school or school district's participation in the 2004 Mock Election. The enrollment will be forwarded to your state coordinator who will contact you and give you all the information you need on getting your school's votes counted and your student's voices heard.

"The torch of democracy was wrenched from my hand rather than passed by me to my students. What I mean is that I participated in an event, the Mock Election ... that saw students hungry to learn about issues, hungry to experience the right to vote, and hungry to speak their minds about issues relevant to their lives."

Sandra Lippe, Scripps Ranch High School, California

There is a smorgasbord of possibilities regarding participation in the mock election, but it's up to you to decide what and how much you want to do. A school mock election coordinator could, for example, simply collect the vote tallies from each classroom, add them up and phone them in to "State Election Headquarters". Or, he or she could make Mock Election Day an exciting event at school, complete with patriotic decorations, bands, speeches, and young "election officials" who tally the votes. (One school phoned us on Mock Election Night to say, "We thought you would like to know 14 candidates just visited our school!") If you cannot persuade your school to take part, do it in one or more classes and see how contagious the excitement becomes!

The American Association of School Administrators includes among the ten elements necessary to the content of education: "Knowledge of American history and government to function in a democratic society and an understanding of issues surrounding patriotism". And points out that, "Being involved in our representative democracy is critical for our nation's future".

Encourage your students to decide what they hope to learn from this experience, and, in the end, to evaluate what they have learned! In other words, the Mock Election seeks to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning and then to motivate them by providing learning activities they find so exciting they want to go on learning. Check our Curriculum page for all the possibilities there are to choose from. The choices are all yours. There is no mandate for participation in the National Student/Parent Mock Election. You are free to use whatever curriculum, from whatever source, is right for your students.

We hope very much that you will share the results of your experience with us and with all the other American teachers, students, and parents around the world who will be participating with you. We look forward with great pleasure to hearing from you on October 28, 2004, Mock Election Day, and to receiving your evaluation as soon as possible thereafter.