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# Samohi holds mock election as a lesson in being civic minded
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/samohi-holds-mock-election-as-a-lesson-in-being-civic-minded/
- Published: 2008-02-06T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T18:20:33.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Students rock the ballot box*

SAMOHI The legal minimum voting age in the United States might be 18, but to high school students, when it comes to elections and politics and hot-button issues, age is just a number.

Unfazed by their underage status, hundreds of Santa Monica High School students found a way to engage themselves in the electoral process on Super Tuesday,participating in a campus mock election during their lunchtime that directly emulated the real-world voting experience, from signing in with an identification card all the way to receiving the “I Voted” sticker.

“It was kind of empowering,” Samohi freshman Taylor Weary said after casting her ballot and sticking an “I Voted” sticker on her forehead. “If this was a real election, I would actually have a say in what is going on.”

A total of 442 students cast votes in the mock election, though 75 were voided because students either voted twice or scratched out the candidate’s name on the ballot, making the choice illegible.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama, the Facebook phenomenon that has captivated a young audience, captured 66 percent of the vote, followed by former first lady Hillary Clinton with 19 percent and republican front-runner John McCain with 6 percent.

The senator from Illinois was Erin Jane O’Flynn’s choice, believing the presidential candidate offers a fresh voice and new ideas.

“He really does unite,” O’Flynn said. “He’s brought a lot of republicans and independents together.”

The high school’s Associated Student Body (ASB) and the Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE), a campus organization aimed at advancing youth involvement in entrepreneurship and community service, co-sponsored the mock elections on Tuesday, an event that coincided with similar elections staged at more than 200 high schools statewide, all a part of a program offered by the Secretary of State’s office to encourage young adults to be more civic minded.

Altogether more than 450 high schools were expected to have held Presidential Primary mock elections over the past two weeks, half of which held their simulations last week, according to Kate Folmar, spokeswoman for Secretary of State Debra Bowen’s office.

“The idea here is to get teenagers and young adults hooked on democracy so they register and vote as soon as they turn 18,” Folmar said on Tuesday.

The number of schools that participate in mock elections has gradually declined since the program was initially offered for the 2004 presidential election, but the number of overall voters has actually increased. In 2004, 647 high schools staged mock elections but only 209,000 students participated. This year, about 241,000 students are predicted to have voted.

“This is such an exciting year in elections and Secretary Bowen wants to make sure young adults are also able to share in that election excitement,” Folmar said.

In the days leading up to Super Tuesday, students in the Samohi government courses discussed the pros and cons of each presidential candidate, simulating caucus-style debates, according to Anita Kemp, a SAGE advisor.

In order to carefully mimic the actual voting experience, the Santa Monica League of Women Voters schooled the students on how to operate polls, everything from checking in voters, abiding by the honor system in respecting students’ privacy, and counting the ballots after the polls closed, which in Samohi’s case was 1:10 p.m. when the lunch period ended.

“It’s important for schools to get students involved in civic activities, for students to be well-informed,” Kemp said.

Blake Rosado, a member of SAGE and one of the organizers of the mock election, said the classroom debates were meant to help students make informed decisions, focusing their attention on the issues rather than name recognition.

“We want to make sure that we get everyone involved and they know the issues going on,” Rosado said.“It’s not about who is famous.”

While the mock election was meant to reflect the real-world voting process that the students would soon experience as adults, there was one obvious discrepancy — the students cast their votes to a near deafening music blaring through the PA system, an eclectic soundtrack of some soft rock and hip hop. But regardless, it was an atmosphere that impressed on students that being engaged in politics can be cool.

Chaneini Gauer, the publicity chair for ASB, said today’s youth need to work on making their voices heard, pointing to a statistic that the 18-25 year-old demographic is one that is least likely to vote.

“I think we don’t make ourselves heard loud enough,” Gauer said.

The students hope that their generation will signal a shift in current voting trends amongst young Americans.

“It’s really time for the youth to take a stand,” said Nicholas Borenstein, a senior and co-chair of the committee that organized the mock election.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 6, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/020608.pdf?ref=smdp.com)