INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Supervisor of Elections office was invited to present their groundbreaking educational program “Democracy Days” to Mrs. Arnstein’s senior government classes at Indian River Charter High School.
Word quickly spread about the guest speakers, and students could not wait to see what all the fuss was about. Who knew an educational program about democracy would cause such a stir?
Supervisor of Elections, Leslie Rossway Swan and her assistants, spent two days in the classroom showing a video created by Rock the Vote on the history of voting and asking students “What would it take for you to vote?”
Two students from each class were asked to volunteer to act as candidates and answer questions from their classroom audience in a mock debate about issues affecting the millennial generation.
Candidates spoke out about such topics as campaigning on social networking sites, texting while driving, and government control of the internet. Once the debate was complete, the class was issued ballots and voted on the candidate which best represented their views and values.
After the mock election, students watched a presentation about the importance of registering to vote and what the elections process entails.
Students were actively engaged and were asked questions about the qualifications for registering to vote, the methods of voting, and what it means to live in a “closed primary state”. At the end of the presentation, students were given the option to register to vote.
Supervisor of Elections, Leslie Rossway Swan, said, “In total, sixty students from Indian River Charter High School registered to vote and every student brought home the message that, “I count, I vote”.
