Mock elections were held today at the Southern New Mexico high school where I teach. The results were telling and makes me hopeful for the future (even if their math scores are rising too slowly).
I have taught math for 21 years here in South Central New Mexico. Over the years I have seen only a small amount of interest in the presidential elections. This year is different. Students are excited about this election as never before. I have kids who volunteer for the Obama campaign. Questions about issues come up more often sometimes leading to heated discussions. It is great to see the enthusiasim these kids have.
Our results from the Mock Election:
Obama 73%
McSame 21%
Other 6%
Not bad, although this school gave Kerry a win four years ago(!) but by a smaller margin. I hope this is a national trend among young people.
Our county has been determined by the Obama campaign to be critical to winning New Mexico. I hope that the results from our school (2600 students) reflect the trend in the county at large.
Our mock election was a part of a national Mock Election. The purpose of this is to increase participation in elections. According to their web site:
America has the lowest rate of voter participation of any of the world's democracies. There are 70.2 million Americans under the age of 18 today, the largest generation of young people in our country's history. If present trends continue, most of these children and youth will not go to the polls and vote...
...In the end, it is up to us to ensure that, through educating the public and involving students in the electoral process, our precious democracy remains strong as the vibrant heartbeat of America.
Currently, across the nation poll shows that among students Obama is up 62% to McPalin's 34%. The web page shows the state-by-state results. It is telling that Obama leads in both Alaska and Arizona! All the results for the Mock Election can be found at this link here.