By Intro to Journalism Elective
November 5th, 2024, marked Election Day in the United States. America’s electorate went to the polls to vote in national, state, and local races. Election Day also marked an exercise in civic education for nearly 131,000 K-12 students as they made their voices heard by participating in Students Voting, a mock election held in over 400 schools across the state of Minnesota. Students Voting is a program jointly run by the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and the YMCA Center for Youth Voice. This year, Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School students in grades 5-8 also participated in the program.
In preparation for Election Day, Heilicher students learned about the electoral process, the electoral college, historical elections, and executive branch powers. Students analyzed a sample ballot to understand its structure and identify the candidates vying for office in 2024. To increase awareness and excitement leading up to Election Day, many students made red, white, and blue paper chains and “vote” signs to decorate the school.
In addition to the official election, Heilicher included on its ballot a referendum to determine which charity should receive the tz’dakah money collected each week at Kabbalat Shabbat. In middle school Musar, students held a primary with various ideas. The top three options appeared on the ballot: Children’s Hospital Minnesota, Nechama (Jewish Response to Disaster), and supporting displaced families in Israel. K-4 students also voted for their tz’dakah choice on Election Day.
On Election Day, the Sheila and Stephen Lieberman, Children and Grandchildren Library was transformed into Heilicher’s polling place. Librarian Britton Cook played an integral part in making the mock election a success. “It was fun to be part of such a great learning experience,” Ms. Cook states. “As a poll worker, I got to check students into their ‘precinct,’ explain the ballot, and direct them to a waiting area. Students then proceeded to voting booths and submitted their ballots into an official ballot box.” Smiling students walked away from the polling place proudly displaying their “I’ve Voted” stickers.
After ballots were processed, election results were tabulated and announced in Musar and at All-School Lunch. This experience is sure to stay with students for years to come and will hopefully inspire them to become voters as adults.