M-A participated in the California Student Mock Election this year, where students practiced exercising their right to vote in a representative election. Students received a Google Form link to vote for a presidential and senate candidate and a few state propositions.
The mock election voting opened on Oct. 1 and closed on Oct. 8, and the official results were posted on Oct. 11.
Although some students are of legal voting age, many still care about the outcome of this year’s intense presidential election and want to get involved in being a part of a democracy.
“The main reasons M-A is taking part in this are because of the importance of civic engagement, political awareness, and that it promotes education and discourse around voting,” junior and event organizer Audrey Majzun said. “While we are located in California, we still have many diverse opinions and the right to share those.”
71,098 Californian students cast ballots in this mock election, and M-A made up for 254 of those votes. “That’s about a 10% turnout, which is moderately disappointing given national turnouts for presidential elections are 40-60%, depending on the year,” Majzun said.
We don’t know the official election results yet, but Harris is currently leading in California with 59% of voters compared to 35% for Trump. This puts Harris almost 10% higher than the mock election results.
For the mock U.S. Senate results, Democrat Steve Garvey beat Republican Adam Schiff, but the percentages were close. “I was honestly a little surprised,” Majzun said. “The data shows that our state’s young people are pretty split on issues.”
While student participation was relatively low, some students felt committed to taking part and getting their voices heard. “My teacher was really encouraging it,” junior Lily Steinmetz said. “I also think it was a really good idea because even if you’re not eligible to vote, your opinion still matters, and it prepares you for actual voting in the future.”
“I voted because it’s important for students to use their voices, and I am not able to vote in the actual election, so voting in this one felt great,” senior Angeleah Fayette said. “Voting in the actual election is so important because you are voting for your own future and the future of this country.”
“Of the people who did not vote, I commonly heard that either the form was ‘too long’ or they ‘didn’t like any of the candidates.’ That’s scary,” Majzun said about the low student participation. “I think too many people don’t realize the importance of their own vote and voice. We want an excited and educated voting class. Practice and mock elections are the first step to building that curiosity.”
