Escambia County Supervisor of Elections David H. Stafford partnered with Escambia County School District and Double Click Democracy, an online election service supported by the Lou Frey Institute at UCF and Kids Voting USA, in offering Escambia County students the opportunity to vote in a mock Presidential election. More than 10,000 students in multiple grade levels from various schools around the county participated in the online election and cast their ballot in two contests: President and Vice President, and United State Senator.
The students’ results matched actual results in the U.S. Senate contest, with Marco Rubio edging out Patrick Murphy. However, the students chose differently than Escambia County voters in the Presidential contest, selecting Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump. A copy of the results is attached.
“Our team was thrilled to play a role in offering area students the chance to participate in this election in a meaningful way,” said Stafford.
The Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office visits schools year-round, offering presentations on the elections process and the chance for students to cast demonstration ballots on actual voting equipment used in elections. Currently, voters aged 18 to 25 represent the second largest group of voters in Escambia County, but have the lowest voter participation rate in most elections.
“In our Social Studies classes we teach history and civics lessons and the responsibilities associated being be a citizen in our country. Voting is a right and becoming a regular educated voter is a responsibility,” said Escambia School Superintendent Malcolm Thomas. “Our partnership with our county’s election office, and the many ways they give our students opportunities to vote on school level decisions, such as student government and favorite Sunshine books, by using real ballots and voting equipment helps introduce this responsibility as early as elementary school and is greatly appreciated.”
“By engaging students with hands-on voting experiences and election education at an early age, we hope to change this statistic,” added Stafford.
For more information on voter outreach opportunities or other election questions, please contact the Escambia County Supervisor of Elections office at (850) 595-3900.