August 31, 2016
By KEITH RYAN CARTWRIGHT
Rutherford County Schools
Lynda Newman believes a mock election for eighth-graders can be the difference between voting when they’re 18 or not.
That’s why Newman, who retired from Smyrna Middle School three years ago, has worked with the Rutherford County Election Commission since 1984 to provide middle schoolers and high schoolers an opportunity to participate in mock presidential elections every four years.
Newman and Barry Burns, a volunteer with the election commission, were at Rockvale Middle School this morning and later at Siegel High School.
“Quite of a few of them are excited,” said Newman, while assisting eighth grade voters at Rockvale. “They know it’s just school, but hopefully it will really make them want to do it when they’re an adult.”
Brittany Taylor agreed with Newman.
Taylor and other teachers had their eighth grade U.S. history students sign voter registration cards and cast their votes.
In preparation for Wednesday’s vote, Taylor planned a blind in-class election with no names attached. Students were told only of the issues attached to candidates A and B.
Today votes were cast for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.
“The president we have now is who we’re going to be when we grow up,” said Victoria Paige, an eighth grader. “My opinion was stronger, but there were points on the other side that I understood and I thought were good points. But the one I voted for I think was better.”
According Taylor and her students, the lesson taught them to focus solely on issues.
Taylor said her students were passionate about issues ranging from immigration to abortion as well as gun control.
Eighth-grader Heather Cason said, “It’s our right to bear arms. I just don’t think you should be able to … take away our guns. That’s our right.”
Cason said she disagrees with some of the beliefs in the candidate she chose, but felt she voted for the right one.
However, the exercise in civics was less about issues and more about the process.
“We also talked about the electoral college,” Taylor said, “and how the popular vote does not elect the president.”
Students studied how that works and the affects it’s had in past elections.
Taylor, Burns and Newman all said today was about the reality of the experience. Burns also thought firsthand experiences like this show kids how easy the process is.
“I thought it was cool that even at our age we had a chance to even see what it’s about,” Paige said, “so when we do get older we understand it and have a chance to do it.”
“I’m such a history nut and I love to vote and I just wanted my kids, where I taught, to have this experience,” said Newman, who taught geography and later U.S. history. “I called the election commission 32 years ago and they said, ‘Absolutely.’”
PHOTOS:
TOP, Election Commission volunteer Barry Burns takes Rockvale teacher Emily Johnson, center, and student Victoria Paige through the process of using an official Rutherford County voting machine.
BOTTOM, Rockvale Middle students patiently wait in line for a chance to vote in the school's mock election. A similar event was held at Siegel High School in Murfreesboro.