Students Voting Statewide Mock Election

Students Voting is THE statewide mock election program.

We are excited to announce the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and the YMCA Center for Youth Voice are working together again to help students statewide discover the importance of elections and the power of their voice – and their vote – in our democracy.

Students Voting gives teachers at all grade levels the tools and resources to expose their students to a comprehensive voting experience- whether it's online or in person- that includes learning about candidates and issues, voter registration and casting a ballot on or before Election day.

VIEW FINAL RESULTS FROM STUDENTS VOTE 2022

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"Thanks for running this program. Last time it was very helpful for my students to see that students from other schools from around the state saw the election and the world differently than they did." -John

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"We have been working with the students voting program for a number of years. AND we're already signed up for next year. It's an interesting program, and I think for my "greater Minnesota" kids, the data we have access to, afterwards that allows them to compare themselves to "The Cities" and other regions of the State have been impactful.  It promotes educated voting, and isn't that what we want too?" -Matt

Overview

2024 will be a big election year with the Presidential race, US Senate and House races, and more! Civic participation is a core Minnesota value, and Students Voting is a great opportunity to get good habits started early with soon-to-be voters. That is why this statewide mock election will return in fall of 2024. What do participants get?

• hands-on experience with the electoral process
  
  
• to cast a customized mock ballot and have their statewide and national votes tallied and shared
  
  
• a sense of the responsibility and power they will soon hold as voters.
  
  Students Voting is designed to give schools and teachers both flexibility and support.
  
  Schools will receive everything they need: printable customized realistic election ballots; tabletop voting booths; ballot boxes; resources and lesson plans that teachers may use; “I Voted” stickers; and creative ideas for making your election a success.

How it works

1. register your school to participate
When registering, select a contact person for your school who will help coordinate the mock election. Any group or individual can be responsible for coordinating the mock election, whether it’s student government, a teacher, a student group, or a committee of students, teachers and parents. Whatever you decide, we’ll need one contact person to receive updates and provide our office with vote totals after the election.

2. Decide how your election will work.
Voting can take place in one central location, over the lunch hour, in individual classrooms, or something entirely different. Each school has unique needs and you have the flexibility to carry out your mock election as you see fit. In addition to using publicly available resources like Learning Law and Democracy Foundation’s civics lesson finder or iCivics, we will be providing resources for you to use if you wish.  You might consider lessons and activities such as holding a student debate, having a discussion about why voting matters, how to evaluate media information about candidates, and other essential civic skills. 

3. Receive your materials in October.
Schools that sign up in time will receive materials, including a customized mock election ballot (emailed), and tabletop voting booths, ballot boxes, and “I voted” stickers by mail.  Later-registering schools will only receive the electronic version of the customized ballot by email.

4. Vote early or on Election Day.
Should you choose, early voting (just like Minnesota voters get to do) is an option. 

5. Report your results by Tuesday, November 8.
To be included in the official results, we’ll need your vote tallies no later than Election Day.

6. View statewide results on Wednesday, November 9.
Share the results with your students and have a discussion about what they mean.  Explore the demographic differences and similarities school to school and regionally.  Connect with other participating schools for combined video-conference discussions or activities. 

Common Questions

Is Students Voting still only for high school students?
NO! With the recent merger of Students Vote and Kids Voting into THE statewide K-12 mock election, any school can participate!  It is never too early to learn about civics, elections, and the power of your voice! Ask us about how to best approach voting and the election for your school’s grade levels.

Do other states hold mock elections?
Yes, many Secretary of State offices offer statewide mock elections for students. For example:

• California has been running a successful statewide student mock election with schools since 2006, with over 250,000 students participating.
  
  
• In Iowa, nearly 60,000 students participated in the statewide Youth Presidential Straw Poll ahead of Iowa Caucuses. Students from over 250 schools participated.
  
  

Can our school vote before Election Day?
Most Students Voting schools will hold their elections on Tuesday, November 8th, but each school is free to offer early voting. In any case, each school submits all of their school’s results at one time. School choice and customization is at the heart of Students Voting. No matter when they hold their election, every school will still have access to all Students Voting materials and resources.

2022 Participant List (As of 7/19/22)

These 141schools (and over 84,000 students) have signed up for Students Voting 2022!