Give your students the opportunity to participate in an authentic, hands-on mock election through Students Voting!
Research shows that young people who learn how to vote and become comfortable with the mechanics of polling places are more likely to make voting a lifelong habit. This fall, join more than 300,000 elementary, middle, and high school students across Minnesota who will cast a ballot through Students Voting, one of the nation’s largest mock election programs.
Register your school to participate in the upcoming 2024 mock election, and help students across the state discover the importance of elections and the power of their voice and their vote in our democracy. Students Voting is led by the YMCA Center for Youth Voice in partnership with the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State.
At no cost, every school that registers for Students Voting will receive the following classroom resources about elections and materials needed to set up polling places:
- Access to Ballot Ready, an informative dashboard where unbiased candidate information and office descriptions will be published and the statewide mock election results will be shared
- A realistic, printable, custom ballot
- Ballot boxes
- Privacy screens to set up desktop or tabletop voting booths
- “I Voted” stickers
Teachers and administrators across Minnesota consistently share positive feedback about their experience with Students Voting:
“I felt like this exercise empowered the students and helped them to become responsible, respectful, and proud citizens.”
Who
Public, private, and charter K-12 schools and students across Minnesota.
When
Fall 2024 leading up to Election Day on Tuesday, November 5. Schools can hold their elections in the days and weeks leading up to Election Day or on Election Day.
Register by Friday, September 20 to receive polling place materials through the mail and a printable, custom ballot via email. Schools that register after September 20 will only receive a printable, custom ballot via email. Materials will be delivered in mid-October.
Students Voting runs every fall of even-numbered years.
Where
Schools across Minnesota. Polling places can be set up in one central location, in individual classrooms, or in a different format that works best for your school, students, and schedule.
Cost
Free
Register Today
For more information about Students Voting and how to get involved, please reach out to YMCA Center for Youth Voice Outreach Manager, Brianne Leibham, at Brianne.Leibham@ymcamn.org or 612-263-9893.
Thank you to the Minnesota Vikings for supporting Students Voting.
