On November 5, the third grade classroom at Faith Lutheran School in Plano was  transformed into “Precinct 3W” as students conducted a mock election and enjoyed participating in various jobs at their mock polling place.

Prior to this, the third graders learned about the process of voting by first completing a voter registration form. Then, they learned about the various jobs that occur at the polls. At their classroom election, the students carried out their civic responsibility by voting via secret ballot. In addition, they took turns assuming the various ‘jobs’ at the polling station. Also participating in this mock election were the sixth graders at Faith who are the ‘reading partners’ paired this year with the third graders. After voting, each student was presented with an “I Voted” sticker. Later, the votes were carefully counted by a select group of students, and the election was declared valid and binding. Earlier in the school year, these young students studied about the three branches of the federal government and the U.S. Constitutional requirements for elected office. This was followed by learning the pathway from declaring candidacy, to nomination at convention, to the rigorous campaign trail, to the actual election day. Special emphasis was made this year on the ‘road to the White House’.