The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office is proud to help conduct the Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award (SSYRA) elections in three Escambia County Schools. Over the next two weeks, Longleaf Elementary, N.B. Cook Elementary and Bellview Middle School will hold elections focused on the 2012 book list for the SSYRA program. “The Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award program provides an incredible opportunity to involve our children in the elections process. These are our future voters and to see them participate in an election, using the same voting equipment their parents will use in the upcoming presidential election, is inspiring,” said David H. Stafford, Escambia County Supervisor of Elections. “We hope this is just as exciting for these students as they cast their first ballots.”
The students have had an opportunity to select books from the reading list to be able to vote in this election. Some of the schools issue the eligible students a voter card and prepare a register book for students to sign in. The Elections Office prepares the ballots with a complete list of the books and provides staff and voting equipment for the election. At the conclusion of the election, the results are printed and given to the school. The school shares the results with the students and then they are submitted to SSYRA
The Elections office is participating in elections at the following schools:
• April 11- Longleaf Elementary
• April 25- N.B. Cook Elementary
• April 26- Bellview Middle
Additionally, ballots will be provided to Jim Allen Elementary.
The SSYRA is a statewide reading program for students in grades three through eight. The program, cosponsored by the School Library Media Services Office of the Department of Education and Florida Association for Media in Education, began in 1983.