On Tuesday, Nov. 5, as the nation cast its votes in the presidential election, 249 students at Piedmont and Millennium High School participated in a mock election.
“I think [the mock election] is really fun because you feel like you have a say and it’s interesting to see the results,” junior Sparrow Lieu said
The event was organized by the Civic Leaders of America Club, with help from faculty members, as a way to educate students about civic involvement.
“The importance [of the mock election] is to be engaged in our political and civic duties,” said resource specialist, Michelle Barbera who helped coordinate the event.
On election day, students lined up at tables in the Breezeway and received ballots from members of the Civic Leaders of America Club. After bubbling in their votes for President, California Senator, U.S. House of Representatives, Piedmont City Council, Measure P, and California Propositions 3 and 32, students dropped their ballots in a collection box and received “I Voted!” stickers.
The mock election results, released on Nov. 15, showed that Vice President Kamala Harris won the presidential race with 211 votes to President-elect Donald Trump’s 29. Write-in candidates received another 10 votes.
In the race for U.S. senator, students elected Adam Schiff with 197 votes to Steve Garvey’s 28.
Lateefah Simon won against Jennifer Tran for U.S. representative 105 to 57.
On the state level, students voted to pass Proposition 3, which protects same-sex marriage, and Proposition 32, which raises the minimum wage to 18 dollars.
The mock election also included Piedmont ballot issues.
Of the two seats on the Piedmont City Council up for election, Lorrel Plimier won one with 89 votes, and Conna McCarthy won the other with 58 votes. Students also voted to approve Measure P, which funds staffing and programs for the Piedmont Unified School District.
Overall, the mock election results reflected the views of the Democratic majority in Piedmont and the Bay Area.
By contrast, the national election results went largely Republican, and President-elect Donald Trump won decisively with 312 electoral college votes to Harris’s 226.
Many students were surprised.
“I thought Kamala was going to win,” junior Skylar Best said.
However, some students expected these results.
“I think I was baffled by the country’s decision, but I don’t think I was necessarily surprised with their ability to elect Donald Trump,” Lieu said.
The results of the local and state races aligned much more closely with our school’s election results, with the exception of Proposition 32. Unlike Piedmont and Millennium High School students, California voters decided against raising the minimum wage.
“I’m surprised Prop 32 didn’t pass because I thought people would want to get paid more,” freshman Julia Stokes said.
Although not everybody was satisfied with the results, students said they enjoyed participating in the mock election and hope our school will continue to hold it in the future.
“I hope they have a mock election at Piedmont [and Millennium] High School for the next presidential election because I learned a lot from it, and found it very interesting,” Stokes said.
