Dougherty County students participate in mock elections

ALBANY – More than 1,200 Dougherty County elementary students cast ballots along with millions of Americans in general elections across the U.S.

Students in nine schools across the Dougherty County School System participated in mock elections, voting for real commission candidates for the city ward their school sits in as well as a mock referendum.

Pre-K students even got to participate, voting on their favorite holiday. 

“We want to start them early to understand the voting process,” Sherrie Hubbard, the K-5 Social Studies coordinator, said. “Hopefully, they encourage their parents to get out and vote.”

Hubbard said the school system has been hosting these mock elections for all races – local, state and national – for at least a decade.  

“We want them to be able to understand that every vote counts in every single election,” she said. “We want them to understand that it is important for them to be involved in their local branches of government as well as state and national offices. What happens locally is just as important as what happens nationally.”

Burnell Grant’s fifth-grade students were the first to vote Monday. They entered the gymnasium at Sherwood Acres Elementary School where the mock voting booths were set up across from real voting booths that would be used by voters Tuesday, as the school is an official polling site.

On small screens separated by dividers, students voted for either Bob Langstaff, the Albany Ward V incumbent, or Colette Jenkins. They also voted yes or no on whether the city and Dougherty County should form a youth council to help address crime and violence in the community.

Grant, who teaches fifth-grade social studies, said the students were especially excited to vote this year. Students engaged in a voting and civics curriculum ahead of the election. They went through the process of registering to vote, learned about local government as well as branches of government at different levels. 

“We want to make sure our kids actually see the process and put into practice what they learn about voting … being good citizens and the roles and responsibilities of citizenship,” Hubbard said. 

Grant said powerpoints and videos drew his students into election interest. He said he also was more involved in elections locally and was able to pass enthusiasm to his students. 

“I just really encouraged them on how important it is to vote,” he said. “I told them about the different city councilmen and the importance of those positions. We watched a video from Nickelodeon about voting, and they got excited to see things they were familiar with connected to voting.” 

Local candidates visited the Commodore Conyers College and Career Academy ahead of the election to share their platforms. Students across the elementary schools were shown videos of this visit to better learn about who they were voting for. 

Fifth-grader Dustin Craig was one of the first students to line up at the “polling site.” She said she was excited to vote for female leadership – and strong leadership in general. 

“I learned that elections are important for a good reason because everybody needs a good president and leader in the state and city,” she said. 

Dustin said she was in support of creating a youth council.

“I think it’s a good thing because people would get a chance to talk to the leaders that take care of us,” she said. 

The fifth-grader said she wishes elected leaders paid more attention to student behavior and environments inside schools. 

When asked why she was focused on a female leader, her answer was simple. 

“A female leader would be good at basically more things than a male,” Dustin said.