Upper School Holds Mock Election
Early voting is underway in multiple states, as we march head-first into a contentious election season.
Unlike the vitriol associated with this year’s campaign rhetoric, Benjamin Upper School students were involved in thoughtful dialogue this week as they cast their votes in a mock election.
The election, run by Assistant Head for Academics Ken Didsbury, took place in the Kirkwood Library all day Tuesday. Students cast their votes for both the Senate race and the Presidential election.
Mr. Didsbury and his class of journalism students set up mock polling stations and precinct boxes, divided by grade level, where students could submit their anonymous ballots.
"The student mock election is an important civics lesson for students. The Pharcyde is sponsoring this event so that we can collect information for a special four-page insert in the October issue,” Didsbury says.
“We will be reporting the results and providing other election information that we hope will be valuable for our students. We had a great turnout, and we were pleased to see how enthusiastic the students were about their involvement."
Final results will appear for the first time in this month's issue of The Pharcyde, but most students believe Donald Trump will win the mock election.
“I think students will vote primarily for Trump this year, but it may be a little closer than the last presidential election,” one tenth-grader, who prefers to remain anonymous, says.
“Terrorism and national security is a big concern for me and I just think the GOP has a better plan when it comes to those issues,” he says.
But it won't be a landslide. Other students plan to vote for Hillary Clinton and Gary Johnson.
Will Ziff, an eleventh-grader, says he will be voting for Johnson.
“My sister and I are Gary fans,” he says.
Robert Rubin, a tenth-grader, says one of the reasons he finds Johnson appealing is that he will work to solve issues at a state level.
“I’m the only Gary Johnson supporter in my family,” says Rubin. “But I don’t feel like I’m wasting my vote because I don’t want to be limited to voting for two parties. We need to show that there are third party options available.”
“I think the mock election has raised more awareness for a lesser known candidate,” says Rubin.
Regardless of who they’re voting for, students are in agreement about the value of the mock election.
“I thought it was beneficial because it got everyone thinking about the voting process and got seniors thinking about who they will vote for in November. Even though the majority of the school isn't voting this year it got us to consider what issues are most important to us,” says tenth-grader Sam Fox.
For full election results make sure you pick up a copy of The Pharcyde!
For full election results make sure you pick up a copy of The Pharcyde!
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A premier PK3 - Grade 12 independent, coeducational day school with campuses in North Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. Since 1960, The Benjamin School has provided a challenging college preparatory education to a diverse student body in a structured, nurturing community environment.