If voters in the 2011 General Election vote like how their younger counterparts did in this year’s State Mock Election, it won’t be good news for supporters of Initiative 1125 or I-1183.
Washington students in grades 6-12 rejected both measures, with 54.19 percent opposing I-1125 (transportation tolls) and 56.2 percent against I-1183 (privatizing liquor sales). I-1163 (long-term care workers and services) was the only measure approved by students, with 53.25 percent giving a thumbs-up. The grade 6-12 students voted on the same three initiatives that adult voters will decide upon soon.
More than 13,900 K-12 students, including homeschooled pupils, throughout Washington participated in this year’s Mock Election, a strong turnout for an off-year election. Of that total, 3,043 were in kindergarten through fifth grade, and 10,858 were in grades 6-12. The total was far above the 2009 participation of 5,305. That was the last comparable off-year election.
The Mock Election, which began Monday and concluded early Friday afternoon, has been hosted online by the Office of Secretary of State since 2004. The record for Mock Election turnout was set in 2008 when nearly 18,000 student votes were cast. In 2010, the mid-term election, the tally was 15,404.
Students in grades K-5 were asked to vote on three measures that are more age-appropriate. The results indicate that a majority don’t favor school uniforms or replacing summer vacation with shorter breaks. More than 81 percent shot down Measure A, which asked if schools should require students to wear uniforms. Nearly 55 percent favored Measure B, which asked if it should be legal for students to bring their pets to school. Measure C (“Should schools take two-week breaks every three months instead of a two-month summer break?”) was rejected by nearly 75 percent of students.
The Mock Election results can be seen by going to www.sos.wa.gov/elections/mock and then clicking the “Results” button. People can view the results by county, city or school by typing in the needed info.
The Washington State Mock Election is run by the Office of Secretary of State’s Elections Division and is supported by a federal grant from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. For more information about the Mock Election, contact JulieAnne Behar or Lindsay Pryor at Just4You@sos.wa.gov or call 800-448-4881.
Brian Zylstra is a communications liaison for the Washington Secretary of State office. This is from a Nov. 4 post on the blog, “From Our Corner.” Read more at http://blogs.sos.wa.gov/FromOurCorner.
Local results
More than 100 students in sixth to 12th grades in the Edmonds School District participated in the state’s Mock Election. The results:
I-1125 (tolls): 47.66% yes, 52.34% no
I-1163 (long-term care workers): 48.57% yes, 51.43% no
I-1183 (liquor): 36.45% yes, 63.55% no
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