Grand Rapids high school students learned first-hand about the election process on Oct. 26 with the help of staff from the Michigan Secretary of State.
Union High School students had the opportunity to learn the rules of conduct for a polling place and how to properly mark a ballot and were able to participate in a mock election as part of the new “Voting 101” program. The students used actual voting machines to choose their favorite flavor of ice cream, favorite brand of car and favorite musician.
 “New voters may not be sure what to expect when they go to the polls for the first time,” Secretary of State Ruth Johnson said. “Our team walked them through the process from beginning to end and gave them an opportunity to test it out by voting for fun topics. Voting is one of our greatest privileges and responsibilities. This practice familiarizes young people with the voting process so that they will feel more comfortable with the voting procedure – an initiative we plan to offer to high schools throughout Michigan.”
Johnson, who stressed the importance of registering and then voting, developed a trivia game with progressively harder questions to test students’ knowledge. Students learned where they can register to vote, how old they must be to cast a ballot and what forms of identification are accepted when at a polling place.
“We want to thank Secretary of State Johnson’s team for coming to GRPS and Union High School to talk with students about the importance of registering to vote and voting,” said district superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal. “This is arguably one of the most tumultuous election cycles in recent history and the interest in voting among our students is at an all-time high. The students were so grateful to get important election information."
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