This story was originally published October 30, 2024, by Chalkbeat. Subscribe to their newsletters on ckbe.at/newsletters

To the sound of “The Star Spangled Banner,” students in Monica Poncé’s class voted for the American president in a simulated election. But this democratic process had its own appearance.

Each student was seated in front of a projection screen showing the candidates’ portraits. Poncé was holding a pair of buttons. She pressed blue so students would hear “My name is Kamala Harris” in the candidate’s voice. Next came the red that said “I am Donald Trump” in his voice. Then it was the student’s turn.

Some students made their choice by pressing the button. We touched sensory pads that corresponded to the candidates. Another indicated his choice between a donkey and a plastic elephant. Two chosen by fixing their gaze on one of the candidates on the screen.

“Thank you, it’s a good choice,” Poncé said regardless of the student’s choice. Together, they would mark the paper ballot and put it in the cardboard box.

Each of the seven students in her high school class at RISE Learning Center suffers from physical, cognitive and communication disabilities, and the majority of students also need services for the blind or visually impaired. All are non-verbal and are working toward a certificate of completion instead of a diploma through the Mobility Opportunities Through Education – or MOVE – program.

They are among thousands of Indiana students participate in mock elections as their teachers use the contentious 2024 presidential election to teach the importance of voting, civic engagement and democracy.

Some vote for their class president, or choose between an ice cream or pizza party. Others study actual 2024 presidential candidates as well as historical examples of activism and voter suppression.

What they have in common is an emphasis on the power of the vote in a presidential election where youth engagement can play an important role in the results.

Poncé said that because her students can’t say what they want or like, things are often done for them.

“When I can give them a choice, I want to give them the opportunity to have a say in what they do,” she said.

RISE, south of Indianapolis, describes itself as “a cooperative special education program.” It serves students from Beech Grove City Schools, Decatur Township MSD and Perry Township Schools as well as a few Johnson County schools.

“I teach our students to be active members of the community,” Poncé said of her students ages 15 to 22. “They can be dismissed by the community if they don’t have thoughts or opinions because they’re not verbal.”

One of their election decisions was choosing between blue and black markers to sign the fake voter registration cards they had made earlier in the week.

Voter registration is a formal document, and formal documents are filled out in blue or black ink, Poncé told them, as she and the teaching assistants handed markers to each student.

Earlier in the lesson, Poncé reviewed the “wh-words” of the presidential election with students: what, when and who. She also included the colors and symbols of political parties.

Poncé told them that they would wait for their turn to vote because sometimes the lines at a polling station are long. And results take time, she said, so they won’t know until later in the day who won the class election.

Two of the students are old enough to vote. Poncé said that when her students turn 18, one of the many resources she shares with families and caregivers is information about voter registration and the location of polling stations. vote.

“We can choose who we want to lead the country,” she told the class.

School studies voter turnout and activism

At the Sankofa School of Success, an Indianapolis Public Schools Innovation Network school, Treasure Jones’ first-graders learned about the qualities they want to see in the school’s next president.

Someone who uses kind words and actions. Someone who is hard working, helpful and happy.

Then they gathered around Jones as she read aloud from a book called “V is for Voting.” She reminds them of an earlier lesson on voter suppression: They agreed that it wouldn’t be fair for Ms. Jones to prevent someone from voting in school elections just because they have bad grades, for example.

“What is a campaign? » asked a student in the middle of the book.

“It’s all you do to convince people to vote for you,” Jones said.

Jones also reminded them why voting is important to her: “It’s important to me that the potholes are filled. This is important to me because I love telling you that your schools are safe.

She also told her class why she votes and attends school board meetings.

At Sankofa, an elementary and middle school in the Martindale-Brightwood neighborhood, voting is a month-long school-wide project, with different lessons at each grade level exploring voter participation, activism and more. even more. A mock election on November 5 – with fifth graders running for office and sixth graders serving as the electoral college – caps off the project.

There are also real-world connections, as students will also vote for presidential candidates in a simulated election.

“The little ones bring a different energy to it,” said Eldridge Chism, the school’s assistant principal.

In Danita Logwood’s third grade class, students design posters specifically to encourage their parents and older siblings to vote. Without voting, you lose your chance to make changes and influence how things are done, Logwood said.

Here’s how she explained it to the second graders: If the class had a recess in the playground, but you wanted to go to the playground, you might feel upset, but did you raise your hand and vote when did you have the chance?

Logwood emphasized the importance of voting in another exercise: She described voting requirements in different periods of U.S. history, then asked students to stand if they met the requirements. At first, only white male landowners could vote – so no members of the class could run.

Fifth-grade teacher Ashley Helman said the idea for the mock election came from the students themselves, who heard about the presidential election at home and then came to class and asked questions. Often these questions were about who the teachers themselves would vote for.

Helman told them that no, they couldn’t share those opinions as teachers. They should ask their parents.

“What I can do is educate you on the process and how it works,” Helman said.

How will Americans feel after Election Day?

At Enlace Academy, another Innovation Network school within IPS, sixth-grader William Ulin accepted his defeat with grace.

He and a table of his classmates represented the state of Florida in a lesson on the electoral college just 12 days before Election Day. The choices: an ice cream evening or a pizza evening.

As a hypothetical Florida resident, William voted for pizza. But his classmates swung the state in favor of ice cream. In the end, it was the class – the entire nation – that made ice cream the winner.

This activity was the last in a series of lessons on the electoral process that the primary and secondary school in the International Market district, west of the city, planned throughout the month of October for its students. college.

The lessons – taught during the school’s weekly “community meetings” that help build community and character – align with the school’s core values ​​of citizenship and integrity. Students learned what political slander is and how to spot reliable sources of information.

At an open house two weeks before Election Day, eighth graders also gave presentations on issues important to them and explored the impact of the two presidential candidates on the topic.

As sixth-grade math teacher Elise Correa counted the electoral votes for ice cream and pizza, school principal Stephanie Campos brainstormed with students.

“How do you think Americans will feel after Election Day?” » she said. “Someone’s going to be upset, aren’t they?”

Campos asked the students how they would react if their chosen candidate lost. Madeline Corado thought about it.

“Be happy for them? » she asked.

“There’s only so much you can control, right?” » Campos said. “But you can keep moving forward.”

Aleksandra Appleton covers Indiana education policy and writes about K-12 schools across the state. Contact her at [email protected].

Amelia Pak-Harvey covers schools in Indianapolis and Marion County for Chalkbeat Indiana. Contact Amélie at [email protected].

MJ Slaby oversees Chalkbeat Indiana’s coverage as bureau chief. Contact MJ at [email protected].

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education.