"Vote" sign and balloons welcome MTHS Seniors to their first ever voting experience (Photo Credit: Ms. Abruzzese).
For the first time ever, high school Seniors were given the opportunity to participate in a voting simulation! During their Health periods on March 27th and 28th, Rho Kappa board members provided an in-depth presentation that covered the importance of voting, how to register, and the steps involved in becoming an informed voter.
Following the presentation, students were escorted to the PAC lobby and guided to their respective polling locations based on alphabetical order. They were required to check-in with a signature worker and then handed a ballot which they would use for voting purposes. Once in the booth, the ballot was to be sent up the slot in the bottom right corner and the student could proceed with making their desired selections. Once the vote had been casted, students proceeded to the final table where they could obtain an “I Voted” sticker and/or begin their official registration as a New Jersey voter!
In this simulation, three questions were asked to a total of over 525 students…
Favorite MTHS School Lunch
Favorite Performer in Concert
Public Question - Ranked Choice Voting
(Photo Credit: Ms. Abruzzese)
At the end of the day, General Tso’s took the favorite in the school lunch category with 186 votes. This was just enough to beat out Pizza Monday (161 votes), however it completely left pizza crunchers (86 votes), zoodles (66 votes), and toasted cheese (25 votes) in the dust!
Students also gravitated towards Drake as their favorite performer in concert, giving him a total of 184 votes. Behind him included Travis Scott (149 votes), Taylor Swift (86 votes), SZA (67 votes), and Beyonce (40 votes).
For those of you who don’t know, ranked choice voting is a new concept being introduced which allows voters to rank their candidates by preference as opposed to simply choosing one candidate. This question, which asked whether or not we should have ranked choice voting in place, earned a whopping 407 votes of approval and a mere 75 votes of opposition.
Poll booth workers and event organizers gathering before the next group of Senior students arrive. (Photo Credit: Harrison Wolk)
I spoke with the President and Membership Chair of the League of Women Voters to get their perspective on this event. Andrea Pellezzi and Linda Kinsey emphasized the importance and uniqueness of this opportunity.
“The students here are truly lucky to have such amazing staff who put an emphasis on civics in the curriculum. Something like this takes away the mystery of voting, and I think it provides some comfort to new voters who might be a little bit nervous. It’s incredible what Ms. Abruzzese [History Honor Society Advisor & MTHS Teacher] has helped put together, and to think back when the voting age was 21 during my childhood, it's remarkable to see the leaps of progress we’re making in younger generations!”
While it can often be intimidating for a first-time voter to enter the booth, this realistic simulation helped calm the nerves of hundreds of young voters at MTHS. The collaborative effort on behalf of the MTHS chapter of Rho Kappa History Honor Society along with the League of Women Voters was truly a success. As a participant and volunteer, I would strongly encourage getting involved in this event as you look ahead to your Senior year!
If your interested in more information about Rho Kappa HHS and the projects they are working on, check out their Instagram page @mthsrhokappa.