Mock elections prepare Carson High students for voting

Carson High School seniors in social studies teacher Angila Golik’s honors government classes are learning about their civic responsibilities in the electoral process.

Students took part in mock elections the week of Oct. 28 as the general election approaches on Nov. 5. The goal was develop their skills in civic engagement and demonstrate how to exercise their right to vote firsthand.

“It's just fundamental, right, like, it's very important and I think it's our right, and it's also important we influence others in our age group that don't vote,” senior Emma Drysdale said.

Discussions have been nonpartisan and haven’t broached the political parties but Drysdale has found the state questions of interest. She said registering and filling out the forms were among her favorite parts of the process.

Golik said the mock election was an opportunity for seniors to understand how to exercise their rights as citizens.

“We literally take the actual ballot in Carson City … and we put that into a format that our seniors can vote on,” Golik said. “Even though a lot of them are 17 and don’t get to participate (in the general election) this year, they are going to be voters and we want them to know what it looks and how it feels.”

Urieluis Sanchez has gone to the polls and said his lessons in the classroom helped to inform him with his actual ballot. He said learning about the checks and balances on the government has been particularly relevant.

“I’m a big fan of history … so just getting involved in this, since this is government, and it’s pretty important here for the election and all that,” he said.

Student voting for the mock election is being completed through a Google form with tabulations completed immediately, Golik said.

“We do not collect an e-mail address when they vote,” she said. “The program is set up where it’s one vote per computer that the person is on… and so I have no say in how those results look.”

Results will provide insight into the political interests and priorities of current students, Golik said, allowing them to discuss what trends are occurring on a local or national level.

“We like to compare them to what the Carson City results were,” Golik said. “And when the students see that they're either a mirror reflection or not, that's a lot of fun for the students to say, ‘You know, we are like our parents or we're not like our parents.’”

In 2020’s mock election, the senior class voted for President Joe Biden, she said, which differed from Carson City.

A mock election coordinated by CHS librarian Ananda Campbell also was available to underclassmen. Participation at all levels is voluntary, she said.

“I feel it’s very progressive in giving kids an opportunity to have a voice, even though it's not an official voice,” Golik said. “And so, it's getting them ready and excited for something that hopefully they will do in the future.”

Golik said there are about 500 seniors and she hopes at least 400 will participate. She plans to share the results publicly.

Drysdale said it’s important to encourage more young people to vote.

“We don’t get enough young people involved,” she said. “I volunteer for the election office, and it was all people well over retirement age. I think we need more people my age and more people in my grade to do it.”