On Oct. 22, Messalonskee Middle School had a schoolwide mock election for governor. I was excited to see the results and help out by being an exit poller. However, I was surprised by the answers I got to the question, “Would you mind telling me who you voted for?”

The first few students didn’t mind telling me who they voted for. Our election was going smoothly until someone responded by saying, “Oh, I don’t know, I just picked a random name.” I was somewhat concerned that my fellow students had no idea about the candidates — not even their names.

Recently, we have been studying each candidate closely, as well as making posters and iMovies, and watching a debate. So why did people tell me they didn’t even remember who they voted for? I couldn’t believe that more than half of the students I had asked were confused by the whole topic.

As more time passed, I listened to what people were saying across the room. I heard someone ask, “What are we voting for?” and others say, “Who are you voting for, I’ll just do the coolest looking name.” I even heard one student ask, “What does the governor do?” I was outraged by how little my peers knew about our government. I was completely baffled by what was happening right in front of my eyes.

I am writing this in hopes to reach out to parents. People should know who and what they are voting for. I believe your children should know about the candidates and what they would do in the office they are elected to. I believe that educating your children at a young age is the best way to ensure that your child will make educated choices in his or her future.

Emma Lavenson

Belgrade

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