Election Day is an important time for many people in the community including students in the district. Since people under the age of 18 cannot vote, many students may feel as if their voice is not heard. Social sciences teacher Mr. Cadarette carries on the tradition of holding a mock election in Mount Pleasant High School to enable students to exercise one of their future rights.
The event took place Friday, November 1st in the high school’s media center. Mr. Cadarette organized it to simulate the real voting experience. On the day of, students and staff were required to bring some sort of photo identification. Mrs. Hovey guarded the media center. The ballot was also very similar to the real version, only simplified so students could better navigate the choices. Many students learned about other parts of the voting process; for example, some were not aware they can withhold their vote in a situation where they do not know the candidates.
Mr. Cadarette shared that many students were interested to see how their friends would vote. They were also super excited to share their own ideas and thoughts. In total, 152 people participated (14 staff and 138 students).
The presidential results in the mock election have Trump and his running mate Vance winning with 55%. Harris and Walz lost with 41.1%. Cadarette was surprised by this, mentioning he expected different results due to the Gen-Z demographic seeming more progressive, especially online. Trump voters were 62.7% male and 37.3% female. While Harris voters were 32.3% male, 61.3% female, and 6.5% identifying as other.
The students at Mount Pleasant High School predicted the current president correctly with Donald Trump taking the lead at 50.9% and Kamala Harris at 47.6%! While more students at Mount Pleasant High School voted for Trump compared to the nation, the close results show an interesting reflection of students’ views and how they correlate to the ideas of eligible voters regardless of what political party they voted for.
All of the Republican candidates in other races such as U.S. Senator, House of Representatives for the Congressional District 2, and representatives in State Legislatures also won the vote. For example, Mike Rogers won with 55.7% and John R. Moolenaar also won with 56.9%. One thing Mr. Cadarette found shocking about the results is that 21% of Harris/Walz voters split their ballot with Republican candidates instead of voting straight Democrat compared to only 14.5% of Trump/Vance voters splitting their ballot with Democratic candidates.
While the mock election was a success, Mr. Cadarette reflected on a few points he would change when running the next mock election. He felt he did not allot enough time to spread information about the event. He mentioned publicizing the mock election through the Oil Spill (MPHS news broadcast) and continuing to use the announcements and posters to spread the word. Another change he would make is “Opening up early voting for a better representation of how voting is”. Mr. Cadarette also thinks the cafeteria would be a better location for a future mock election because of the visibility it offers, especially during lunches. One student suggested using stickers such as “I Voted” to encourage others to participate.
The mock election has proven to be a valuable experience for the high school to continue. Mock elections support democracy by giving students under the legal voting age an opportunity to share their political beliefs. As stated by Mr. Cadarette, it is a “more constructive way to voice opinions”.
