Election Procedures

Why Voting is Important

One of the most patriotic things American citizens can do is to vote for national, state and local candidates for public office.

Voting is at the root of American democracy. It could be called "Democracy 101."

Every vote counts. That fact was illustrated clearly in the 2004 election for President of the United States.

The results of the 2008 Student/Parent Mock Election will serve as one of the last public opinion polls prior to the General  Election in November. Results of previous Mock Elections have be similar to results of the General Election the following week.

How Schools Can Enroll For The Mock  Election

Teachers and school administrators are urged to enroll online with the National Student/Parent Mock Election website.

There is no deadline to enroll in the Mock Election. However, we urge schools to enroll by September 30 in order to assure they will receive instructions and ballots before the Mock Election.

Who Can Vote

All New Jersey students from kindergarten through 12th grade are encouraged to vote in the Mock Election at their schools between Monday, October 20, and Thursday, October 30.

Voting in the Mock Election is optional and students may choose the ballot categories for which they will cast votes. For example, a student may choose to vote only for a candidate for President of the United States but not for a candidate for the U.S.  Senate, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives or on the issues questions.

When and Where to Vote

Voting in the 2008 Student/Parent Mock Election will be done in New Jersey schools from Monday, October 20, through Thursday, October 30.

In most cases, voting will occur in classes as part of the school day, depending on school schedules and other academic activities (scheduled tests, field trips, etc). Each school determines what day fits best into the school schedule for voting will occur.

The Ballot

Sample ballots will be available on October 1 for the school's Mock Election Coordinator to retrieve from this website.

The official ballot will be sent in October to school mock election coordinators via e-mail from School Perceptions, a national educational research company. The coordinator will print enough ballots for everyone in the school to vote and then will distribute the ballots to teachers on or before October 30. As an option, the coordinator may give one ballot to each teacher, who could display the ballot on an overhead projector in the classroom and ask students to vote on sheets of paper.

Teachers who monitor the election in their classrooms will collect their students' ballots, total them and deliver the total to the school election coordinator no later than 3 p.m., Thursday, October 30.

How Votes Are Reported

The school's Mock Election Coordinator will tabulate votes for each school and report that total ONLY to School Perceptions before 3 p.m., Thursday, October 30. That will assure that the school's votes will be included in the election results reported that evening. If a coordinator can't meet the 3 p.m. deadline, that is OK. Go ahead and send the school's results as soon as possible.

The school coordinator will be issued an ID and password by School Perceptions. He or she will log on to a special School Perceptions Web page to report the school's results on a reporting form that is customized for schools within each of New Jersey's 13 Congressional Districts.

School Perceptions will tabulate all results and report them to Google, which announce the New Jersey and national election results the evening of October 30.

When Results Are Announced

The results will be posted on the New Jersey Mock Election website: www.njmockelection.org .

The New Jersey Press Foundation will report Mock Election results to New Jersey's newspapers and broadcasters the evening of October 30.

Answers to Frequently Asked  Questions

New Jersey's Mock Election Coordinator

If you have questions about the New Jersey Student/Parent Mock Election, please send an E-mail to: foundation@njpa.org . The statewide coordinator of the Mock Election is the New Jersey Press Foundation.