Students at Genesee Valley Central School are engaging with this year’s Presidential election in a truly hands-on fashion. As part of their Participation in Government class, a required course for graduation taught by Mrs. Sarah Horne, the students learn about all aspects of the voting and election process.
Each fall, Mrs. Horne begins her class with a unit about the upcoming election in November. Included in the curriculum is the opportunity for students to register to vote. In coordination with the board of elections in Belmont, Mrs. Horne walks students through the process of registering—from filling out paper registration forms, registering for a party (if the students wish), and submitting the forms in time to vote in the election. Even if students are not eligible to vote by November because they will not yet turn 18, they can still complete and submit their paperwork.
An important aspect of the class includes an analysis of the candidates and issues. As part of the class, each student takes an approximately 85-question diagnostic that evaluates their political opinions and reveals which candidates most closely align with their beliefs. The survey, which can be found at www.isidewith.com, is not affiliated with any political party or special interest group and was created by two friends to boost voter engagement. Many questions align with current issues and the political climate unique to this election year.
“My survey results were spot on,” said Carson Cooke, a senior in the class. “I got 88% Libertarian and 80% Republican; since I’m a Libertarian Republican I wasn’t surprised!”
Another student, Christian Tuttle, commented: “I am happy with my survey results because before the quiz I didn’t know anything about politics and didn’t really pay attention to it. Now I’m interested in seeing who wins the election!”
The questions on the survey cover a wide range of issues and topics, including military spending, immigration, environmental regulations, abortion, gun rights and nuclear energy.
“There was even a question about the coronavirus on the survey,” said senior Savannah Werner. “Little did we know at the beginning of the year that the coronavirus would have a role in politics!”
Mrs. Horne has administered the survey to her class for a number of years: “Most students say the survey they take is accurate, but about a third of the students are surprised with which party and candidates the survey aligns them with. Overall, the exercise provides a platform for discussion, encouraging students to make decisions issue to issue and topic to topic.”
Natalie Brodman, a senior in the class, is grateful for the discussion-based format of the class: “My favorite part of class is definitely when we get into discussions about topics happening in our world and hearing my classmates’ opinions on them. Some of us have some strong opinions and we get into some good ‘arguments’ on what we believe.”
“My hope for the class,” concluded Mrs. Horne, “is that students will learn to study political topics so that they can make their own informed decision about what they believe. I never want to convince or change anyone’s mind; I want them to give an answer for what they stand for politically and be able to articulate that in an educated and logical way.”
Voter registration forms can be picked up at the Board of Elections Office or at Genesee Valley Central School just inside the main entrance.
