Tony Stark or Peter Parker? Sacramento students learn how to vote through mock election
Tony Stark or Peter Parker for senator? Students across the region were faced with the decision of which Marvel character to elect this fall during a mock election hosted by Sacramento County.
The purpose of the mock elections put on by the county Department of Voter Registration and Elections isn’t to merely take stock of which superhero is the most popular among local teens, but to engage 16-to-18-year-olds in a version of the election process so they are prepared when it is their turn to vote.
“It introduces them to the elections process,” county spokesperson Ken Casparis said. “Maybe they don’t know the process of registering to vote or what it looks like when you actually have a ballot in your hand, so it gives them real world experience. It gets them excited for the voting process and democracy.”
Students in Shawnecee Schneider’s government class at West Campus High School in Fruitridge Manor were given a realistic (but not enough so to be confused with a legitimate) ballot with fake candidates and measures, but real contests. Students were asked to vote in all of the contests that will be listed on the real ballot regionally this November — from state senator to city council.
Student Sophia Quiroz said the exercise made her more aware of races beyond the presidential contest. Nina Thornton, 18, said that although she still felt nervous about the election, the mock election helped prepare her to vote for the first time this November.
“I don’t remember learning that much about how the election really works,” she said. “It helped me understand how to fill out the ballot.”
Alongside the faux ballots were real voter registration forms so the seniors could pre-register or register to vote, depending on their age. Around half of Schneider’s class opted to fill out the form. Casparis said that 5,300 students have pre-registered to vote in the county, with most of those registrations coming from the mock election events.
The voting exercise builds upon a larger thread of lessons about civics Schneider teaches in her class. Voting, while important, is just one piece of the pie, she said.
“It’s not like you’re done when you go vote, there’s a lot of other civic responsibilities young people have,” she said.
Quiroz recognized the utility of voting, but echoed her teacher’s lessons about social responsibility.
“Voting is super important, but I think it’s not the main, biggest thing you can do to make an effect on your community,” she said. “So like, running for local office, going to speak to the city council, helping out the community — there’s way more to it than just voting.”
As an educator, Schneider appreciated the program because it helps create a more holistic learning experience for students that goes beyond what a teacher can tell them from the front of a classroom.
“I think it’s just really important to have outside people in the classroom, because, you know, teachers are just one part of the teaching,” she said.
The county holds around a dozen of these mock elections each election season and posts each school’s results online. Historically, Stark has been the favorite to take the Senate seat.
This story was originally published October 3, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
