FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2010
CONTACT: Matt Dunlap (207) 624-8400

Student Mock Election Results Final
Over 24,000 Maine Students Make their Voices Heard

AUGUSTA, MAINE – Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced that more than 24,000 students at over 150 schools voted in Maine’s Student Mock Election 2010.  The Mock Election is coordinated by the Secretary of State’s Office and is run in partnership with teachers throughout the State.

Students voted on mock ballots for the offices of Governor and U.S. House of Representatives, and they voted on the three statewide referendum questions appearing on Maine ballots.  In addition, nearly 200 students from schools as far north as Fort Fairfield and as far east as East Machias, capped off the Mock Election by attending a “Rally and Tally” event, hosted by the Secretary of State at the Augusta Civic Center.  

Students at the Rally and Tally event collected statewide mock election results by phone and via the internet and reported election returns throughout the afternoon and evening.  Students also participated in a wide variety of election related activities including, listening to speeches from candidates in attendance, making campaign posters, learning interview techniques from seasoned reporters, making stump speeches on behalf of the candidates of their choice, and voting on special mock election event ballot.

?Maine?s Student Mock Election provides a hands-on opportunity for young people to learn about our democracy and voting process,? noted Secretary Dunlap.? ?Our objective is to prepare kids for a lifetime of active participation in our elections and in other forms of civic engagement.? As an added benefit, some of the adults in these students? lives may be encouraged to participate in the real election taking place next Tuesday.?

The Student Mock Election “Rally and Tally” event in Augusta was generously supported by the Augusta Civic Center, the Bangor Letter Shop, Maine Humorist Gary Crocker, the Information Resources of Maine, the Maine Learning Technology Initiative, the Pepsi Bottling Group of Augusta, and the Town of West Gardiner.

The mock election results, final tally are available online at www.maine.gov/mockelection.

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