In-Class Elections

Darryl Barnes
SJHS Staff Writer

On Election Day, Tuesday November 4th, most history classes at the junior high had the opportunity to vote and the candidate they felt was most qualified to be president of the United States.

On Election Day Some of the history teachers decided to hold an in-class election where the students decided on the next president of the United States. The students each cast their vote and decided who they wanted to win.

In most of the classes, it was by popular vote. But not in Mr. Shields class. In his class they did it by the Electoral College vote. Each student was given a piece of paper with a state on it. They would write the candidate they were rooting for, and left the paper with the teacher. Mr. Shields then read each states vote, and using his computer, clicked on the appropriate state, and it would automatically count that states vote.

In all but one of Mr. Shield’s 8th grade classes, John McCain and won. In the other class, it was a close race between John McCain and Barack Obama. In Mr. Bentley’s 9th grade class, the election was by popular vote and went as follows: John McCain received 135 votes,and Barack Obama received 80. Of Mr. Hansen’s 9th grade classes, only 1st and 3rd period had Obama elected.

For the most part, the history teachers say that the students enjoyed the elections. Of course there are always a few students who don’t really care, can’t decide, or are just messing around. In that case, the results aren’t completely solid. But the students had a good time and learned a bit more on how our government functions.

The teachers all agree that the majority of the students followed their parents’ example, and voted for the same candidate. That means that students look up to their parents a lot. Sometimes more than they like to let on.

The elections also led to great discussion and debate. In many classes, the teachers had to quiet down a few of the discussions that had a messy potential. The teachers agree that the students showed a lot of enthusiasm on the subject.

The mock elections were a big hit with the students, and the history teachers didn’t expect Democrats to win in a Republican state. Overall, students have a new understanding on the subject of election.