An Old Saybrook High School mock election held November 1 by social studies teacher Mrs. Payne and the Youth and Government club revealed that students narrowly favored Kamala Harris over Donald Trump. Harris won 53% of the votes. This result was similar to the statewide outcome of 56% Harris to 42% Trump, but differed from the national results of 50% Trump to 48% Harris, according to election data on Reuters website.
While Harris won the overall election by a fairly narrow margin, the data showed that certain grades were more divided. Sophomores and juniors were split evenly, with Harris narrowly winning for both. However, the freshman and seniors both showed heavy bias, with 64% of the freshman voting for Trump and 71% of the seniors voting for Harris.
“I thought it would be more evenly matched between all four grades, rather than the two heavily disjointed and the two closely connected,” said Mrs. Payne, who helped run the election alongside Youth and Government. “But I do think it’s beneficial for me to know as a teacher, especially as someone who teaches civics.”
One of the main goals of the mock election, besides collecting data, is to allow students to express their opinions and “get students excited about political participation,” Mrs. Payne said. Although many high schoolers aren’t old enough to vote, many still follow politics and have formed their own beliefs. “Some people are very politically involved and politically driven, so not being able to vote in the real election can be challenging,” said Youth and Government President Marie-Therese Morosky said.
Some OSHS students who are over 18 did vote in the real election, including senior Stephanie Rivera. “I voted because it’s something I’ve looked forward to for a long time,” Rivera said. “I’m really into politics and want to pursue it in the future.” Rivera also explained what motivated her to vote for one candidate over the other, saying “Harris’ views align more with what I believe personally, and I didn’t love how Trump handled certain things in his first term.”
OSHS has holds mock elections each presidential election year, with Mrs. Payne primarily running them since 2012. This year, Mrs. Payne said that she approached Youth and Government to help because she knew that they would be invested in it, adding, “Mrs. Torre asked [Youth and Government] if they would be interested and it was an overwhelming yes.”
Changes this year included color coded ballots to collect data for each grade, and new ballot boxes. Additionally, the mock election was at the beginning of the day rather than during flex or throughout the day. “We wanted to do it in the morning as everyone was coming in so we could get the most participation,” Morosky said. She added that flex would be “too optional” and other times would cause too much disruption.
In the end, the mock election had a fairly high voter turnout, and those involved were happy with how it went. Mrs. Payne said, “I’m pleased with the 64% turnout, and with seeing a lot of the students get excited about being able to vote and getting their stickers.”
