OLYMPIA — Young Washingtonians across the state are invited to participate in the 2023 Student Mock Election presented by the Office of the Secretary of State.
The Student Mock Election is a non-partisan, educational event that teaches children to be informed voters. All K-12 students in Washington state are welcome to participate by casting votes on races and measures. In recognition of National Voter Education Week the first week of October, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs is calling on students and teachers across Washington to take part in the Mock Election.
“This opportunity is great preparation for young Washingtonians to become aware and involved as soon as they’re eligible,” Secretary Hobbs said. “I’m inviting educators throughout the state to use the Student Mock Election and help encourage lifelong participation in our democracy.”
Ballots, vote tabulation sheets, posters, and Voters’ Pamphlets are available for download at https://www.sos.wa.gov/mockelection. Free “I Voted” stickers can be ordered from the website as well. In this year’s Mock Election — History Edition, students have the opportunity to vote on historical questions from past Washington elections, including which city should serve as the state capital (an 1890 election), whether to lower the state voting age (1970), and other milestone decisions. An alternate ballot, also downloadable, offers participants choices of favorite desserts or seasons, or whether to ban pineapple as a pizza topping.
From Oct. 6 until the Nov. 7 General Election, participation statistics will be available on the Secretary of State’s Mock Election engagement dashboard website. The Mock Election website also offers a free Teaching Elections in Washington State curriculum book and a series of 30-45 minute lessons to help students learn how elections work.
“I’m proud to make this toolkit of free resources available to every teacher and home educator,” Secretary Hobbs said. “I hope to help students across the state learn the power of civic engagement.”
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.
###