MOUNT VERNON — Voting for the first time can be nerve-racking, especially when you’re not sure what half the people on the ballot actually do.
Local officials want to change that.
On Friday, 711 juniors gathered at the Knox Memorial Building for Government Day. They came from throughout the county and Clear Fork High School.
County Commissioner Barry Lester conceived the idea while campaigning.
“Being out in the public, knocking on doors and talking to people, I realized that a lot of our adults in the area are uninformed about a lot of grassroots topics,” he said.
“Also, unfortunately, most of them didn’t know what any of the elected officials did. I thought if we started teaching this in school, it may be able to help turn the page with some of the information that they need as they grow through the process of voting and becoming an adult.”
At the very least, he said, they would know the office to call if they have a problem.
Panelists at Government Day included the commissioners, Sheriff Dan Weckesser and state Rep. Mark Hiner. Judges Richard Wetzel and Jay Nixon and other elected county officials also participated.
“I think it’s very important that these kids know how the voting process works and how to vote because some of these kids in their senior year will be able to vote,” Lester said.
Elections Director James Blazer agreed many citizens do not understand how to vote or how government works.
“We see lots of people when they come to the polling locations, and they don’t understand it all,” he said.
“Then we also see people who want to study it and know who’s on the ballot.”
Not as scary as it seems
Blazer said the goal is a well-informed electorate that knows who the officials are, what they do and how the process works.
“Election Day is probably one of the most important days as an American because you’re telling the government how you want it to be run by putting people in that you agree with their philosophies or however they present themselves,” he said.
Government Day aims to break down barriers for students in government classes.
Blazer said he will consider the event successful if every student leaves comfortable with the election process. They should also understand the Board of Elections’ role.
“And to know that it’s not as scary as it may seem,” he said.
“We don’t want them to be nervous. We want them to be curious, so they’ll potentially pursue careers in government or as an elected official.”
To make voting more realistic, students filled out a nine-question ballot. BOE staff tabulated the results and told students how many ballots contained errors.
Every vote counts
Mount Vernon Schools Supt. William Seder said Government Day makes classroom learning more authentic by putting faces to names and positions.
“Certainly, we focus on government as a class in their junior year of high school. They’re obviously getting to that age where soon they’ll be able to vote on their own. To really understand how government works, who these folks are, what their responsibilities are I think is just a really well-intentioned idea. It’s one I’m glad that our students can take part in.”
Seder said success means students walk away with a better understanding of government positions and a greater awareness of their responsibilities.
He also hopes students realize they could be a judge or commissioner.
“It really opens them up to different sorts of careers that they might not have originally had an idea could be a possibility,” he said.
Seder said he hopes the mock ballot shows students that every vote counts.
“The margins could be pretty slim, and sometimes we take this thought that I’m just one person, my vote won’t really count,” he said.
Seder believes civic engagement is on the upswing. However, he said the challenge is how people civically engage. He feels civil discourse has slowly eroded.
“While I think we’re finding more and more engagement, I’m not sure it’s always the most positive and brings forth the kind of outcomes we’re looking for,” he said. “It’s more about taking sides, defending our turf, and defaming or degrading other people’s viewpoints. I don’t think that’s really what we were set up to be.
“I worry that could be a real challenge for us, not just locally, but nationally,” he said. “I hope we can do better and be better for the kids of our future.”
