Run a Mock Election

Hold a Mock Election at the Polling Place

Step-by-step guide to running your mock election at the polling place:

1.  Get started:

•        Select a Mock Election Coordinator and have the coordinator register with our office by emailing Missy Shea at mshea@sec.state.vt.us

•         Contact The Town Clerk.  Contact the town clerks in the towns served by your school to see whether it would be possible to run a mock election at the polling place on Election Day. Find contact information for your clerk. Ask the clerk whether there is space in the polling place to set up the mock election.  In some towns the clerk may be able to help run the mock election but most will ask you to provide volunteers to run the election.  Remember that during a presidential election the polling place will be very busy and the people running the election must work hard to ensure that all goes smoothly.

•         Find volunteers to run the election.  Ask your parents group, high school student council members, the local Rotary or Kiwanis club to run the mock election.  Decide what hours  (before and after school - or during school if the whole class is going at the same time) the polls will be open and be sure to let the students, parents and teachers know.

•         Order/download ballots and elections materials.  Many schools also make their own ballots with local issues or school questions to vote on (ex. Should the school allow students to chew gum?  Should the school require students to wear uniforms?)   
Order mock election supplies!

2.  In the classroom:

•         Register students to vote. Ask students to fill out a student voter registration form. Download our student registration form and copy as you need. (PDF format)

•         Prepare a voter checklist.  Provide a student voter checklist to the volunteers who will be running the election.  (Or ask students to show their registration receipts).

•         Discuss the issues and candidates on the ballot.  Use the Vermont Votes For Kids Curriculum or Democracy in Action Newspaper in Education Pages to teach students about voting and the importance of voting to our democracy.

•         Invite election officials or candidates to speak to your class.  Many candidates and election officials are willing to visit your school to explain the election process. Coming Soon!

•         Make election booths/ballot box.  On Election Day voting can take place at a designated table set up with privacy barriers for voters. Your class can make these barriers by cutting the top, bottom and one side off a cardboard box (or purchase or reuse science fair type display boards.)  These voting booths can be decorated by students.  Make ballot box by cutting a slit into a closed cardboard box.
Order Vermont Votes For Kids stickers that can be used to decorate the tabletop booth and ballot box.

3.On Election Day:

•         Set up polling place. Be sure volunteers have the voting booth, voter registration list, "I Voted" stickers, mock ballots and ballot box at the polling place before the polls open.
Order mock election supplies.

•         Count the votes when the polling place closes.

•         Report the mock election results.   Your election results will be reported as part of the statewide mock vote tally so get those results in to us as soon as you have them. 
Report your election results.