Tehachapi News

Jacobsen Middle Schoolers Vote!

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With the aid of their social studies teacher, Mr. Walz, and JMS Library Technician Debbie Franchere, Jacobsen Middle School social studies students are learning how to become independent thinkers — and how to recognize and overcome bias — all while participating in America’s most revered of political institutions: The Right to Vote.

For nearly 30 years, thousands of American students have been participating in the National Student/Parent Mock Election and the results have driven more registered voters to the polls each year, as students come home from school prepared to ask the right questions, question the answers they are offered, and to properly weigh those  answers that will guide them towards their own conclusions.

“I think it is very important to include students this age in the democratic process. By giving them the opportunity to participate in a national mock election they get the opportunity to experience democracy personally,” said Mr. Walz.

The Mock Election gives students of all ages and their parents, the opportunity to vote for the President, members of Congress from their own state and districts, and governors of their states when there is a contested race. A second ballot invites students to learn about and vote on the major issues, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and America's troubled economy. Another ballot invites a comparison of some of the country's most popular past presidents and lets students vote for the ones they would choose today if they were still with us.

Organizer Debbie Franchere said she found out about the Mock Election through www.schoolperceptions.com, the Wisconsin-based education survey research firm that tabulates the votes.

Franchere said she saw it and, “I liked it. It gives the kids a choice and a chance to express their thoughts and concerns.”

According to Franchere, 793 JMS students voted on Oct. 30, and “all ballots have to be validated just like the national election.”

The Mock Election voting “polls” will remain open online until Nov. 4, for parents and others who wish to participate in the educational program.

Mr. Walz teaches his students valuable independent thinking skills by constantly challenging them to carefully examine their sources of  information and look for potential bias.

“After the election I split the class by who they voted for, and had a debate about the issues covered. Many of the students had facts and statistics memorized that supported their candidate. As a class we questioned those sources.

I would ask ‘Where did you hear that?’ And many times they would respond ‘on a television commercial,’ or ‘the news.’

I constantly challenge my students to question information sources for their bias. As a class we identify the bias of information we analyze, and then dissect the information for any content that is substantial,” Walz said.

While many intricate socio-political issues tend to arise during the formative middle school years — not including the onset of puberty  — the concepts of democracy and the politics that follow can be confusing for Americans of any age. Walz also helps his students to   understand hot-button political issues by presenting the different positions represented in our government — Democrat vs. Republican and the differing ideologies of other political parties’.

Walz said that after determining any bias of sources and examining the different stances on the issues, students are encouraged to come up with their own opinions.

“During these discussions many students either switched sides or went to the middle, because they changed their mind on an issue after understanding it following the discussion. My classes use this process on a daily basis, whether we are questioning our textbook, the teacher or a media source,” said the 7th grade social studies teacher.

Officials announced that for the first time in the history of the Mock Election, two elementary, two middle schools and two high schools will receive a special award for highest participation levels — a visit to their school of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, provided by the Declare Yourself (www.declareyourself.com/index.php) youth voting organization with funding from the Pearson Foundation (www.pearsonfoundation.org).

“Overwhelmingly, my students are extremely involved in this election, much more than many adults that I know. I had a student that was genuinely upset that the government doesn't let kids vote. That is democracy at its finest.”


Mock Election Results
For Jacobsen Middle School
7th grade social studies class
793 students voted
John McCain:           53.42%
Barack Obama:       41.37%

Question: In your opinion, how important is it for the government to focus on the following issues in the next four years?
(items are sorted by average highest to lowest)
Item    Response    Count    %     
The cost and quality of health care     Absolutely Critical     205     29.58      
    Very Important     352     50.79      
    Somewhat Important     94     13.56      
    Not Important     8     1.15      
    Not Sure     34     4.9      
 
The economy     Absolutely Critical     357     51.29      
    Very Important     237     34.05      
    Somewhat Important     67     9.62      
    Not Important     9     1.29      
    Not Sure     26     3.73      
 
The educational system     Absolutely Critical     225     33.33      
    Very Important     273     40.44      
    Somewhat Important     104     15.4      
    Not Important     49     7.25      
    Not Sure     24     3.55      
 
Global climate change and the environment     Absolutely Critical     247     35.43      
    Very Important     218     31.27      
    Somewhat Important     153     21.95      
    Not Important     52     7.46      
    Not Sure     27     3.87      
 
The high cost of energy     Absolutely Critical     242     34.92      
    Very Important     253     36.5      
    Somewhat Important     138     19.91      
    Not Important     21     3.03      
    Not Sure     39     5.62      
 
National security     Absolutely Critical     227     33.48      
    Very Important     242     35.69      
    Somewhat Important     148     21.82      
    Not Important     31     4.57      
    Not Sure     30     4.42      
 
The war in Afghanistan     Absolutely Critical     243     35.21      
    Very Important     245     35.5      
    Somewhat Important     104     15.07      
    Not Important     55     7.97      
    Not Sure     43     6.23      
 
The war in Iraq     Absolutely Critical     322     46.46      
    Very Important     212     30.59      
    Somewhat Important     80     11.54      
    Not Important     51     7.35      
    Not Sure     28     4.04      
 
Question: The government is limited to how much money it can raise through taxes. In your opinion, which one of these issues would government spending help the most?
     count    percentage     
The cost and quality of health care     130     19.03      
The economy     229     33.52      
The educational system     55     8.05      
Global climate change and the environment     67     9.8      
The high cost of energy     46     6.73      
National security     41     6.0      
The war in Afghanistan     21     3.07      
The war in Iraq     94     13.76      


About the National Student/Parent Mock Election
The NSPME is the nation's oldest, largest and most successful voter-education program, dating from 1980. In the last presidential election year, 2004, more than 4 million students from all 50 states and American schools around the world cast ballots in that year's Mock Election.  Participants in the Mock Election are kindergarteners through college students. Since the first Mock Election in 1980, nearly 50 million young voters have discovered through this  program what it means to be an American and the value of citizenship in our democracy.