Contact Olivia Gay: 802-828-1296
Civic Education and Voter Outreach Coordinator
For Immediate Release: November 4, 2010
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Vermont Students Vote Dubie for Governor and
Scott for Lieutenant Governor in Statewide Mock Election
Montpelier. Unlike
the adult voters, students favored Republican Brian Dubie in the governor’s race
with Dubie receiving 50 percent of the vote and Democrat Peter Shumlin garnering
34.5 percent in this year’s initial results of the Vermont Votes for Kids mock
election. Other gubernatorial candidates received a combined vote of 15.5
percent. In the lieutenant governor’s race, Phil Scott beat Steve Howard with
43 percent of the vote while Howard received 32.5 percent. The rest of the
candidates combined received 24.5 percent of the vote.
Democrat Patrick Leahy was
the favorite for the Senate, receiving approximately 52 percent of the students’
vote to 22 percent for Republican Len Britton. In the House race, Democrat
Peter Welch was the clear winner with about 60 percent of the vote. Republican
Paul Beaudry received 27 percent. Students overwhelmingly endorsed the
constitutional amendment to allow 17-year-olds to vote in the primary election
if they will be 18 for the general election, with over 85 percent voting yes.
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz said, “We have been
holding student mock elections since 2000 and we are always pleased with school
participation across the state.” Markowitz visited the Lamoille Union Middle
School last Monday to address students before their student council elections.
Noting the exemplary speeches from student candidates, teacher Marc Gilbertson
observed, “I'd say the students were not only inspired by Secretary Markowitz's
visit, she challenged them to think not only about the nuts and bolts of
elections but about voting rights. It is so great that we live in a state
where the secretary of state can swing by our little middle school the day
before the election. It was even more impressive that she was on her way to see
Vice President Biden.”
Many Vermont schools participated in Vermont Votes for Kids
activities with students casting mock ballots in both small and large schools.
In partnership with daily newspapers throughout the state, the Secretary of
State’s Office again offered Democracy in Action, a five week
Newspapers-in-Education series on voting and democracy which was used in
classrooms across Vermont. Through Vermont Votes for Kids, students
participated in classroom lessons that included mock elections, monitoring
election results, researching candidates and “registering” to vote for the
election. Students then went to their local polling places to vote or cast a
ballot in their classroom.
For detailed results from all
schools, as well as final voting percentages for the major races, check for
updates in the 2010 Mock Election Results on our website at
http://www.sec.state.vt.us/kids/vtvotes/2010_Mock_Election_Results.pdf
Vermont Votes for Kids is a
non-profit, non-partisan organization designed to increase voter turnout and
create a better-informed electorate. For more information about Vermont Votes
for Kids or with questions about this year’s mock election visit
www.VermontVotesForKids.com or contact Olivia Gay at 802-828-1296.
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PRESS RELEASE
Contact Olivia Gay 802-828-1296
Monday, November 1, 2010
Vermont
Votes for Kids Kicks Off Statewide Student Mock Election
Secretary of State Deb Markowitz Joins
Lamoille Union Middle School Student Council in Pre-Mock Election Event
Hyde Park.
Today, Secretary of State Deb
Markowitz addressed 300 students of Lamoille Union Middle School about the
importance of voting. With this event,
Vermont Votes for Kids kicked off its 2010 student mock election
program. Tomorrow, Lamoille middle school students will participate in a voting
process that closely mimics the real thing. In addition to voting a mock
election ballot, the middle school will be holding their student council
elections. Lamoille teachers, including Joseph Murphy, Marc Gilbertson, Deirdre
Fournier, Cori Rockwood, Brian Long, and Liam Callahan, have organized a
comprehensive program to engage students through learning by doing. They have
been using Vermont Votes for Kids materials produced by the office of the
Secretary of State.
Markowitz said “We must teach
our kids the value of voting at the earliest ages. By involving youth in the
election process today we can secure the future of our democracy tomorrow. We
are pleased that many teachers across the state are doing more than just
offering mock ballots to students. They have built lessons around candidate
research, understanding the critical campaign issues at local, state, and
federal levels, as well as a study of how elections work.”
Vermont Votes for Kids
is a civics curriculum and mock election program sponsored by the Secretary of
State’s Office that is being used in schools all over Vermont.
Before casting their ballots, students participate in a multidisciplinary
curriculum that is available online. These studies help students learn to
research candidates and help them understand how elections work. A six-week
Newspaper in Education series entitled
Democracy in Action is distributed by daily newspapers across the
state to supplement the Vermont Votes for Kids program.
Secretary of State Markowitz
adds, “Vermont Votes for Kids is a
comprehensive solution to a complex problem. Democratic renewal will only be
possible if parents and leaders in education, business, government, politics and
the media commit themselves to a new, energetic creative strategy for
reconnecting American youth to politics and public life. My hope is that
Vermont Votes for Kids will help us
ensure that our next generation of Vermonters will be active participants in
democracy.”
For more information, to access
the Vermont Votes for Kids
curriculum, and to view the Democracy in
Action series,
please visit
http://www.sec.state.vt.us/kids/
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