Students in grades K-12 across the nation will cast their votes online today in the 2002 National Youth Leadership Initiative Mock Election sponsored by the Center for Politics.
Beginning today, the mock election ballots will feature candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and, in Virginia, will include proposed bond issues and potential constitutional amendments.
Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato started the program in 1998, hoping to spark young students' interest in government and get them involved in politics.
"The mock election project has spread like wildfire," Sabato said. "It is now the signature program of U.Va.'s Center for Politics."
Merely a pilot project in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area four years ago, the mock election will take place this year in 4,000 middle and high schools from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
According to Sabato, 400,000 middle and high school students are enrolled in the program.
"We're very proud of that. It proves that there was a tremendous need for a youth-oriented civic program," he said.
The mock election is one way the initiative is trying to combat apathy among young people when it comes to politics.
In the 2000 presidential election, 67 percent of registered voters aged 55 to 64 voted, while only 32 percent of registered voters aged 18 to 24 headed to the polls, according to YLI Director Ken Stroupe.
But young people aren't entirely at fault, he said.
"They are a product of the society in which they live. Since the 1960s, society in general has not placed a high value on political participation," Stroupe said. "Do you know that more than half of all young people live in a household where no one votes?"
Besides sponsoring the mock election, the YLI also provides lesson plans and resources to civic teachers for them to integrate into their curricula.
One popular YLI resource is a computer-based program called "A Perfect Union" that puts students in the role of election campaign managers. It challenges students to help their candidate win by running mock polls and allowing them to run an advertising campaign.
Stroupe says YLI targets younger age groups for good reasons.
"So many organizations have made efforts to target people between the ages of 18 and 24," he said. "That's important, but if you wait until a person is in college, often, you've waited too long."
Angela Stokes, who works actively with the YLI, added that feedback from students has been almost entirely positive.
"Across the board, students are excited to have their opinions heard and have the opportunity to make decisions," she said.
The YLI aims to teach students with a hands-on approach.
"We try to teach kids the real-life component of what they learn in school," Stroupe said. "That even one vote is important."
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