Students at Carson High School and Reno High School are getting the opportunity in their government classes to learn more about this election season.
Some of the students say what they're learning in class is just like a real election, including what it's like to vote as they get to check out mock ballots that look like the real ones used in the election.
Richard Clark, the Department Leader for Social Studies at Reno High School says: "It’s election season, and so we’re going in-depth into the election. There is only a handful of students that will be 18 by next week, so most of them won’t have the opportunity until next spring to vote primary.
But I want to be able to answer questions, to talk about the current event stuff; the races, the electoral college, all the things they are watching both nationally and locally--either on social media, or if any of them watch or read the news to really help them understand what it is to vote, and how our political process works."
Angila Golik, an educator at Carson High School, explains, "It's probably one of the most important things they're going to learn in high school is how to be a citizen, and how to exercise their rights as a citizen, and voting is at the top of that list that they learn."
The students mention how nice it is to learn the ins and outs of the election, even though some of them are only 17, because someday soon they'll be a part of the actual elections.
Those who are already 18 say learning about the election was helpful to them because voting on the mock ballot gives them practice for the real thing.
Urieluis Sanchez, a senior at Carson High School says "I feel like what she taught us here, and the sample ballot we're about to do right now, is pretty much the same as I saw on the election at the polls."
Emily Means, a senior at Reno High School tells us, "So far, my favorite thing I've learned is understanding what the ballot is and what the questions are on the ballot, because I'm 18 years old and I'll be able to vote. So, knowing what's on the ballot has been very helpful."
Teachers also say that 18- to 24-year olds over the years don't go out to vote as much, ranking at a 25% to 30% turnout. Teachers hope classes like these will help change this outcome.
Jessica Lowden, another senior at Reno High School says, "It is extremely important, because obviously it's a bigger part of your life, like as you move into college, as you move into your future. I don't know, especially as you hit that 18 mark."
Lowden adds, "Just like learning more. Because it’s only been one unit and I’ve learned so much, I don’t know what the future will hold."
The students have also been learning how important Nevada is as a swing state during the election, and why politicians visit our state more often than others because of it.
Richard Clark says, "I don't know if I am convincing them but definitely, hopefully, pushing them in the direction that is something that is an important process to our democracy and their vote matters just as much as their parents, or grandparents or neighbors."
He adds, "Right now, I’m having them go through the ballot. The Washoe County ballot. And do an inquiry of the candidates, the offices because a lot of the time we hear about the big offices, you know all the money, all the advertisement. But we don’t see the little races and those are just as important or sometimes more important than the national races and what are these positions we’re voting, who are the people that are running for office, how do we find information on these people, where are good sources of information, where are different... so I can compare and contrast different pieces of information.
Just to have them really be consumers of the ballot and not just look at a party and go that’s the party I want. Prior to this, we did research on all the parties in Nevada, including the third parties, the impactive nonpartisans voting. Because I want them to be educated about what it means to be a registered voter, if they want to join the Republicans and Democrats, what that means right now in the state of Nevada. If they want to be nonpartisans, what does that mean, if they want to be a part of the third party, what that impact is, because we have a close primary system, your vote, or you could not vote for some of the candidates you thought you could and that is important."
Angila Golik says her classroom tallies the results form their mock election and compares it to the actual election to see the differences and similarities.
