5:12 p.m., Oct. 29, 2008----This week Delaware students from fourth grade through high school are participating in the 2008 Student/Parent Mock Election. This long-standing program, affiliated with a national effort and administered in Delaware by the state Department of Elections, educates young people about elections and voting.

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This year, however, for the first time the students' experience will be enriched by the participation of the Institute for Public Administration's (IPA) Democracy Project at the University of Delaware.

In preparation for this year's mock election, the Democracy Project set up a Web site that provides a wide range of educational materials, including variety of lesson plans, suggested extended classroom activities, downloadable video materials, reading lists, background materials and numerous Web sites that teachers can use in their classrooms.

“While the student mock election has always been a popular civic project, our goal through this new collaboration with the Department of Elections was to help teachers enrich the learning experience for their students as they participated in the vote,” said Ed Freel, IPA policy scientist and manager of the Democracy Project.

The News Journal also contributed to the program this year by inviting students to submit letters about the candidates and issues involved in the 2008 election. Many of the students' letters were published in the Oct. 29 News Journal.

“It is in large part due to the interagency and inter-organizational cooperation that the mock election has been successful all these years,” said Commissioner of Elections Elaine Manlove. “I know that having the support and involvement of The News Journal and the Democracy Project this year will provide for an especially unique and memorable experience for both the students and teachers.”

Each school district has a coordinator to help prepare students for the upcoming election using basic lesson plans developed by Delaware teachers and linked to the Delaware social studies content standards. The lessons inform students about the electoral process, promote the discussion of key issues in national campaigns and prepare the students to take part in the mock election. Students can also participate in debates, issue forums, press conferences, candidate nights, rallies and inaugural balls as part of the mock election in their school.

From Oct. 27-29, students across the state cast their ballots online for president and vice president, U.S. senator, U.S. representative, governor, lieutenant governor and insurance commissioner. On Oct. 31, two students chosen from each school district will attend the Mock Election Convention at Legislative Hall in Dover. Secretary of State Harriet Smith Windsor, the program's honorary chairperson, will listen to the roll call of votes of the participating delegates from school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic and private schools throughout Delaware.

As an added educational experience, Windsor has invited the students participating in the mock convention to also attend the Electoral College vote ceremony on Dec. 15. During the Electoral College vote, which is presided over by the Secretary of State, Delaware's three electors will certify their votes for president and vice president.

Article by Beth Chajes