OLYMPIA – The Office of the Secretary of State’s 2020 Student Mock Election is open from now until Nov. 3.
The Student Mock Election is a nonpartisan educational initiative that teaches K-12 students how elections work and how to become informed voters. Students read candidate statements and arguments for and against races, measures, and issues that may be relevant to their daily lives.
Ballots, along with corresponding tabulation sheets and Voters’ Pamphlets, are available for download and printing at sos.wa.gov/mockelection.
Other free resources include “I Voted” stickers (to be ordered by Oct. 30) and the revamped curriculum book Teaching Elections in Washington State. The lessons meet state and common-core standards, and satisfy the civics coursework required for graduation. Classroom-based assessments are included with each lesson.
To learn more and download participation materials, visit the Mock Election resources page at the Office of the Secretary of State website.
“The Student Mock Election offers teachers resources and tools that empower kids to become more informed and involved citizens,” said Lori Augino, director of elections, Office of the Secretary of State. “Giving students the opportunity to learn about elections in a hands-on, interactive way is an important step in helping them make civic engagement a lifelong habit.”
Last July, legislation went into effect that allows 16- and 17-year-old Washington citizens to sign up as “future voters” and be automatically registered to vote when they turn 18. More information about the Future Voter program, including qualifications and how to register, is available here.
Washington’s Office of the Secretary of State oversees a number of areas within state government, including managing state elections, registering corporations and charities, and governing the use of the state flag and state seal. The office also manages the State Archives and the State Library, documents extraordinary stories in Washington’s history through Legacy Washington, oversees the Combined Fund Drive for charitable giving by state employees, and administers the state’s Address Confidentiality Program to help protect survivors of crime.