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Frequently Asked Questions
If the following questions and responses don't answer questions you might have, feel free to send an E-mail to the New Jersey Press Foundation to ask your question(s). Your question may then be posted below, but your name will not be used. Our E-mail address is: foundation@njpa.org .
School and Teacher Responsibilities
Ballot and Election Preparation
I Didn't Receive a Voter Instruction Kit. What Should I Do?
The first thing to do is check your junk-mail folder. Some schools automatically designate bulk E-mails or E-mails with attachments as junk mail. If your E-mail and the Voter Instruction Kit attachment from School Perceptions can't be found, your best bet is to go online and retrieve your duplicate Voter Instruction Kit. You can do that by going to www.schoolperceptions.com/surveyhome . There you will need to enter your E-mail address and password. If you don't remember your password, click here for a list of schools and passwords recorded through October 17.
I Received the Same Password for Both Schools I Enrolled. What Can I Do About That?
School Perceptions has assigned the same password for each E-mail address entered into their computer system. Some teachers and administrators who are responsible for the Mock Election being held at two or more schools in their districts sent School Perceptions the same E-mail address for all of their schools. Therefore, they were issued only one password to send in election results if they are using the paper-ballot method of voting. The results for all of the schools will be combined because one password is being used. If you want to report results for each school separately, you will need to use a different E-mail address for each school. To do that, re-enroll each school separately with a different E-mail address. That way you will be able to select a different password for each school. To enroll schools separately, go to www.nationalmockelection.org and click on the "Enroll Now" button. Repeat the process for each school you want to enroll.
What If My Students Want to Vote Only for the Presidential Candidates?
That is OK. Students must be given the option of voting for only those parts of the ballot they feel comfortable responding to. For instance, a student may choose to vote only for candidates for President and the U.S. Senate, but not for a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives or on the issues questions. In fact, it is OK for a student to decline to vote for any candidate or issue or to decline to vote at all.
Can a School Use Both Paper Ballots and Online Voting Booths with Computers?
Yes. You may want some grade levels in your school to use paper ballots and other grade levels to use computers as voting machines The Voter Instruction Kit provides a Voter ID Number (a 16-digit code) for you to use when you set up the computers being used as voting booths or kiosks. Votes cast online by computers are sent immediately to School Perceptions. You would need to use the procedure described in your Voter Information Kit to report your school's paper-ballot results to School Perceptions. The methods of voting also are described on this website.
How Do I Set Up My Classroom Computer So Students Can Vote?
The most important thing is to be sure the computer is set up to access websites through a browser. Get into your browser (e.g. - Internet Explorer, Foxfire, Safari) and go to the web address listed in the computer-voting section of your Voter Instruction Kit. You will then see a screen with four boxes where you can enter the 16-digit ID code you were assigned by School Perceptions. Your computer then will be ready for the first student to vote.
What Should I Do When the Last Student Votes On Our Voting Kiosk?
After the last student clicks "I'm Done" on the last page of the ballot, you close your browser and turn your computer off. If you want to have absent students vote the next day, follow the set-up instructions in the paragraph above. Students can vote until 3 p.m. on October 30, but each student can vote only once.
What is the Student/Parent Mock Election?
The 2008 New Jersey Student/Parent Mock Election is part of the National Student/Parent Mock Election, which is operated throughout the United States as a voter-education program. The purpose of the Mock Election is to teach the nation's youth about the importance of voting in our democratic society and to make it possible for them to express their opinions on a ballot similar to one that will be used in the General Election on Tuesday, November 4.
When Will the Mock Election Occur?
The official date of the Mock Election is October 30, 2008. New Jersey students will be able to vote in their schools from October 20 through the end of the school day on October 30.
Does My Class Have to Vote on October 30?
No. We encourage voting to be done on October 30, but we understand that a school or class may have another activity scheduled for that day (tests, field trips, etc.). Voting can be done in schools from October 20 through the end of the school day on October 30, but ballots from your class must be returned to your school's Mock Election Coordinator no later than 3 p.m. on October 30.
Where Will the Mock Election Occur?
Voting will be done in schools throughout New Jersey. In most cases students will vote in their classrooms from October 20 through the end of the school day on October 30. The election is nationwide, so results from the New Jersey Mock Election will be included along with the votes of students throughout the United States.
Is There a Grade Limit? We have three schools: elementary, middle and high school.
All grades, from kindergarten through 12th grade are encouraged to participate in the Mock Election. There can be a separate Mock Election Coordinator for each school or one person can serve as the coordinator for all schools in a district.
Is There a Charge for My Class to Participate in the Mock Election?
No. The National Student/Parent Mock Election is free for everybody ... students, parents, teachers, and schools. This is a voter education project that hopes to get a large number of students to participate and to learn from teachers and parents the importance of voting. The New Jersey Student/Parent Mock Election is part of the national project.
What If My School Administration Decides Not to Participate in the Mock Election?
That would be unfortunate, but it is possible a school administrator may think the election will be too disruptive to the school day. If that is the case, you could inform individual students that they can go online to the website for the National Student/Parent Mock Election and enroll to vote.
What if a Newspaper Wants to Send a Photographer to My Class to Cover the Mock Election?
This is encouraged, but it will be a decision to clear with your principal or other school administrator. Any visiting journalist should be asked to report first to the main school office before being directed to your classroom or any other part of the school building. You can assist the photographer or reporter by helping select and organize individuals or groups of students for a photo. Also, you should feel free to answer a reporter's questions about the Mock Election process in your classroom. However, you should refer questions about how the votes will be counted and reported to your school's Mock Election Coordinator.
How Can I Participate in the Mock Election?
The first thing to do is for a teacher or school administrator to enroll online with the National Student/Parent Mock Election website. Those who enroll will be named Mock Election Coordinators for their school or class and will be given an ID and password. They will receive a welcome letter and a Voter Instruction Kit from School Perceptions, a national educational research company.
My Son is Home-Schooled. How Can He Participate in the Mock Election?
All schoolchildren are encouraged to participate in the Mock Election. The easiest way to have your child vote is to contact the National Student/Parent Mock Election headquarters by October 29 to enroll your child to vote. You may also contact your closest school(s) and ask to speak to the school's Mock Election Coordinator and arrange to have your child vote in that school the day the school has scheduled the Mock Election.
Are Foreign-Exchange Students Eligible to Vote in the Mock Election?
Yes. All students attending New Jersey schools October 20-30 may vote.
School and Teacher Responsibilities
Who is Responsible for the Mock Election in New Jersey?
The New Jersey
Press Foundation is the statewide coordinator of the
2008 National Student/Parent
Mock Election.
Each school will have a Mock Election Coordinator who has
enrolled online
through the National Student/Parent Mock Election website. The school Mock Election Coordinator
was sent a Voter Instruction Kit. If your kit hasn't arrived,
click here for instructions
on how to retrieve a duplicate copy. The
school coordinator will tabulate the school's Mock Election results and send
them to national Mock Election headquarters the afternoon of October 30. Student
voting also may be done online in a computer lab in the school or on individual
student computers, even at home.
What is the School Mock Election Coordinator Responsible For?
The coordinator's primary responsibility will be to retrieve the Mock Election ballot from School Perceptions, print enough copies for all students in your school to vote, distribute the ballots to teachers, collect the completed ballots from teachers and report your school's election results to School Perceptions by 3 p.m. on October 30. Every school has been sent a password in the Voter Instruction Kit by School Perceptions. If your kit hasn't arrived, click here for instructions on how to retrieve a duplicate copy. You will use the information in that kit to report your school's election results or to set up computers for online voting by students.
I Am a Teacher. What Would I Be Responsible For?
Your primary responsibility will be to hand out ballots to your class(es) from October 20 to 3 p.m. on October 30, monitor your students as they vote, collect the ballots and personally hand-deliver them to your school's Mock Election Coordinator before 3 p.m. on October 30. If your students will vote by a computer in your classroom, you will be responsible for setting that computer up according to instructions in the Voter Instruction Kit issued by School Perceptions. If your kit hasn't arrived, click here for instructions on how to retrieve a duplicate copy.
What Do I Have to Do With My Class on October 30?
Your primary responsibility will be to hand out or display ballots to your class(es) on or before October 30 and monitor your students as they vote. If you are unable to have your class vote on October 30, ask your school's Mock Election Coordinator for ballots you can use prior to that day. We understand that teachers and schools may have other activities planned for October 30 (tests, field trips, etc.)
What's This I Hear About Parents Voting in the Mock Election?
That's right. Parents may vote in the Mock Election with their children. This option is by invitation of the school and teacher, though, as an effort to illustrate to schoolchildren the importance of voting. This doesn't take the place of parents voting in the General Election in November, though. All registered voters are strongly urged to go to the polls to vote on November 4.
What Can Parents Do to Help With the Mock Election?
Parents are encouraged to help their children as they prepare homework exercises, essays and other projects related to the Mock Election. Please see the "Parents" page on this Web site. Working through the school's Parent-Teacher Association. For example, parents may be invited to prepare banners and posters for the school to establish school-wide enthusiasm for the Mock Election. Also, parents may be invited to come to class with their children on October 20-30 to help with the election. Keep in mind that parents also are eligible to vote in the Mock Election and their votes should be counted and reported along with the votes of students. Those are just a couple of ideas. Teachers and the school's Mock Election Coordinator may think of other ways parents can assist with the Mock Election (e.g. - help with counting votes, building voting booths for online voting with computers).
Ballot and Election Preparation
What If My County Board of Elections or Local Newspaper Operates Its Own Mock Election?
That's great! The results from any other local mock election also can be reported as part of the statewide New Jersey Mock Election and the National Student/Parent Mock Election. For example, local school officials in charge of a mock election operated by a County Board of Elections must also enroll in the New Jersey statewide Mock Election to occur in schools from October 20 through the end of the school day on October 30. To do that, a school official or teacher must enroll online with the National Student/Parent Mock Election website. The Press of Atlantic City is operating its own mock election and will report results from their participating schools to the National Student/Parent Mock Election headquarters on on October 30.
How Can I Determine What Congressional District My School Is Located In?
There are three ways to determine
which of the 13 New Jersey Congressional Districts your school building is in.
You can search for
your district three ways:
1. By county and
municipality
2. By Zip Code
3. By a map of New Jersey
Do I Have to Print or Copy the Ballot for Every Student in My Class?
No. You can retrieve the ballot and write the candidates' names on your blackboard. Also, you can download the ballot and project it from your computer onto a screen for students to view. You may also create a transparency of the ballot and project it in your classroom with an overhead projector. The students can then write the names of the candidates they want to vote for on a sheet of paper and hand it in to you so you can count the votes and report the total to your school's Mock Election coordinator.
Will the Ballot Be Printed in Languages Other Than English?
No. The ballot that will be sent to your school's Mock Election Coordinator will be in English. However, if someone in your school wants to prepare a ballot in one or more other languages, that is OK. That ballot must follow the same format as the English ballot so the election coordinator can total the votes easily and send the school's results online to School Perceptions by 3 p.m. on October 30, using the report form provided.
Are There Curriculum Materials I Can Use to Prepare My Students to Vote?
Yes. The curriculum materials offered on the Mock Election Web site are free. If you have found other curriculum materials that aren't listed on this Web site, please send us an E-mail to mention a link to those free materials. We would like to expand the list to help other teachers.
Where Can I Get A Ballot to Vote?
Instructions on how to retrieve the ballot have been sent to every school's Mock Election Coordinator who has enrolled in the program. The coordinator will print ballots for your school and distribute them to teachers on or before October 30 or set up online voting kiosks using the ID number provided on the Voter Instruction Kit. If you don't know who your school's coordinator is, please ask your principal. If nobody from your school has volunteered to be the coordinator, we hope you will get permission from your supervisor to do that job and then enroll your school online by October 29.
Who Prints the Ballots for My Class?
Your school's Mock Election Coordinator will print and distribute ballots to teachers on or before October 30. Ballots also may be copied onto transparencies for teachers to display with an overhead projector for the entire class to see.
Can I Create My Own Ballot for My Class?
Yes. If you want to use the election process to include questions in addition to those on the official ballot, that is OK. Your school's Mock Election Coordinator would not report those local questions to the National Student/Parent Mock Election headquarters, however. The election report to School Perceptions must done on the official report form.
Can a School Use Both Paper Ballots and Online Voting Booths with Computers?
Yes. The Voter Instruction Kit provides a Voter ID Number for the computers being used as voting booths or kiosks. The kit also provides instructions on how to report the results from classes using paper ballots.
When Can I Expect To Receive Voting Instructions?
All schools that enrolled to participate in the Mock Election should have received Voter Instruction Kits attached to an E-mail from School Perceptions. That E-mail was sent beginning October 9. You can also retrieve voting instructions on this website.
Do All Students in My Class Have to Vote in the Mock Election?
No. Any student may decide not to participate in the Mock Election. If a student wants to vote only for selected parts of the ballot, that is OK. For instance, a student may choose to vote only on the issues questions and a candidate for President, but not for candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate.
Can I Choose What Parts of the Ballot My Students Will Vote For?
Yes. You may ask your class to vote for only the election categories and issues for which you feel they are prepared to consider. For instance, you may feel that your students are prepared to vote only for the candidates for President of the United States. They may leave other parts of the ballot blank.
What If My Students Want to Vote Only for the Presidential Candidates?
That is OK. Students must be given the option of voting for only those parts of the ballot they feel comfortable responding to. For instance, a student may choose to vote only for candidates for President and the U.S. Senate, but not for a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives or on the issues questions. In fact, it is OK for a student to decline to vote for any candidate or issue.
How and When Will the Mock Election Results Be Announced?
The New Jersey Press Foundation will announce the results of the Mock Election the evening of October 30, as they are released by the National Student/Parent Mock Election headquarters. The results will be reported to newspapers and broadcasters AND on this website for the New Jersey Student/Parent Mock Election. Schools may retrieve their own election results by following the instructions in the Voter Instruction Kit issued by School Perceptions.
Can I Announce The Election Results for My Class or School Before October 30?
Yes. However, we urge teachers and school Mock Election Coordinators to keep the election results secret until they are announced the evening of October 30 and the school's results can be compared with the state and national results. The results will be posted on this website by the New Jersey Press Foundation.