Council of the Great City Schools
Urban Educator

SEPTEMBER 2008

Students Have a Voice in Presidential Election

Students of all ages – from kindergar ten through college – have an opportunity to participate in this year's historic 2008 presidential election by casting their votes through the National Student/Parent Mock Election on Oct. 30 – five days before the rest of the nation selects the next president of the United States.

The national voter-education program for students and their parents gives young Americans the chance to make their voices heard in the electoral process.

Every U.S. student, parent and educator is invited to participate free of charge at nationalmockelection.org. Students can register now at the Mock Election web address to cast presidential ballots on Oct. 30.

"The 2008 presidential election may well be one of the most important elections in American history," says Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools.

The Council encourages its 66 member school districts to get students and their parents involved in the voting process in a partnership with the nation's oldest and largest voter education project.

"In the classrooms of today, are our future presidents, members of Congress, governors and judges – but most importantly, these young people are the voters of tomorrow," says National Student/Parent Mock Election President Gloria Kirshner.

Google will host the Mock Election Night headquarters at its offices in Washington, D.C., where student volunteers will tabulate the final results of the mock ballots cast by elementary through college students across the nation and in American schools abroad. Results of the National Student/Parent Mock Election will be posted on nationalmockelection.org on Oct. 30.

In the 2004 presidential election, more than 4 million votes were cast with Web voting available to American students and parents worldwide through the Mock Election.