Manual for students organizing mock elections

We are very pleased that you are interested in participating in the project Young People Vote. Since 1995 we’ve been helping many young active citizens like you to organize youth elections. We assure you that we will support your actions till the end and keep our fingers crossed that you succeed.

 

Your task will be coordinating the project inside as well as outside the walls of your school. We also expect you to inform us about the progress of your doings.

 

Why is it worth to take part in Young People Vote? Because this way you can get the influence on what is going on in your community. Thanks to your actions more people may decide to take part in the elections. You will learn a lot about the elections and the functions and competences of your national parliament, president, local authorities. Another benefit is the fact that Young People Vote is a great possibility to develop your teamwork skills.

  

Young People Vote is a great opportunity to involve your student council and the rest of the school in a common activity. Rember that the student council consists of all pupils of your school. You have the right to decide and to change the reality! Don’t wait then - act! And involve as many people as you can. The more of us the better, more interesting and more effective is the project.

 

REMEMBER!

 

Remember that participating in the project means that you as well as your headmaster accept rules of the Young People Vote which the mains are as following:

 

Young People Vote step by step:

STEP I. WE LEARN ABOUT THE DUTIES AND COMPETENCES OF THE NATIONAL PARLIAMENT AND ABOUT ORGANIZING THE ELECTIONS.

During first weeks of the project we encourage you to organize some lessons concerning duties and competences of the body which is to be elected. Your preparations for aware participation in the elections start by going through electoral regulations. Its most important fragments can be found on our website (ask your teacher to help you in “translating “ difficult words or simply use our dictionary).

As an organizer, you will be the one responsible for organizing such classess, nevertheless it is good to have your teacher’s support.

 

Speaking of support, you can also visit our website www.ceo.org.pl/mlodzi, where on bookmark “additional materials” we have prepared documents you might find useful. These are law papers, information concerning the national parliament/president,the electoral system, rules of carrying out elections in a democratic country etc. Soon you will be also able to find there a number of interesting assignments.They will help you to acquire new knowledge. What is more, your teacher supervisor can download many interesting scenarios and prepare you a lesson to lead you into the subject .

 

STEP II. WE PREPARE AND CARRY OUT A LOCAL YOUTH CAMPAIGN FOR THE BENEFIT OF A HIGHER TURNOUT AND CHECK WHETHER ELECTORAL COMMITTEES IN OUR AREA ARE ADJUSTED TO NEEDS OF THE DISABLED.

 

Before the mock elections you can lead a campaign for the benefit of a higher turnout. Try to persuade inhabitants of your nearest surroundings to go voting!

Start your preperations for the pro-turnout action by getting information about the previous voting turnout in your area.

 

When obtaining information about your area check whether the voting place is adjusted to the needs of the disabled (for example whether any stairs are accompanied by drive ins or elevators). Visit websites which contain detailed information about what makes a building proper for the use of disabled persons.

  

As soon as you know what was the turnout in your circut, think about the reasons why some adult citizens resigned from their right to vote. Was it laziness or a conviction that their vote is insignificant? Maybe you will come to a conclusion that their level of awareness is still too low and that you will have to educate them about the importance of the elections?

 

All the conclusions from your research can be very helpful in carrying out youth elections and obtaining a higher turnout in the voting.

 

We can assure you that if you put your heart into the project you may not only serve your community by encouraging adults to take part in elections but also gain new experience that you will find helpful in the future.

 

ATTENTION! During the campaign you agittate ONLY to vote! You do not persuade to choose any particular candidate or party.

 

Inform us and the media about your achievements.Send photos and movie footage of the campaign to journalists, present yourself in the local press and television. 

Take advantage of the experience of your predecessors, who took part in the project in 2007 and 2009. Their ideas can inspire you and encourage to take individual action. See movies from their campaign on www.youtube.com:

Of course you can have you own, surely more interesting ideas how to draw attention to your project. Think about involving someone outside your school, some adult who could become your ally - a teacher, neighbour photographer, an aunt who is a journalist, aristically gifted friend? Or maybe someone from the local authorities?

 

After the official elections, when all of the votes are counted down you can check whether your action had any influence of the final turnout. If the number of citizens who came to the voting ballot is higher than the one from the year 2004, you have achieved a success. Write us about it!

 

 STEP III. WE VOTE!

 

The final touch summing up your efforts put into preparation of the pro-turnout campaign will be mock elections organized in your school, based on the same rules as the real elections.

 

Inform us about your doings (for example write reports on your school’s website). We will draw attention of the media to the most interesting events.