Ballots from Oregon voters are slowly trickling into local election offices, but thousands of Salem students have already cast their votes for president. Middle and high school students across the Salem-Keizer School District are participating in a mock 2024 election organized by the League of Women Voters, with about 16,000 students expected to vote this week. Social studies teachers could opt into the activity, which also included lesson plans and materials about candidate and party platforms developed by the League and reviewed by Oregon political parties. Students could vote for president. their U.S. representative, attorney general and decide on Oregon’s Measure 117, which would establish a ranked choice voting system. Some classes also had students consider Measure 118, a corporate tax hike to fund a rebate for individual taxpayers, and the Chemeketa Community College bond to pay for construction projects. Results will be announced Nov. 1. “A lot of kids are already talking about elections and issues and they don’t always have the information,” said Urmilah Baruah, social studies program associate who coordinated the mock election process for the district.  She said the district’s goal was to provide a platform for students to learn about the process of voting and researching candidates, and to provide accurate and unbiased information that would let students assess their own views and which candidates best aligned with them. “I hope that students feel informed, that their voice matters, that they understand what the civics process is,” she said. Voting was optional for students, and parents were informed ahead of time and sent lesson materials to review, she said. Students filled out a paper ballot that looked the same as the one adult voters use, and teachers explained the need to use blue or black ink and color in bubbles completely so students understood how to make their votes count. A ballot for the 2024 mock election held in Oregon schools. The effort was organized by the League of Women Voters, with about 16,000 Salem-Keizer School District students participating. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Participating students who spoke to Salem Reporter said they appreciated having an activity that felt relevant, as opposed to more theoretical lessons and discussions about government. Many said they felt they better understood the process of voting. “I haven’t voted yet. It’s always been like, that’s something later, but then you have this ballot it’s like, ‘Oh, crap. I have to actually make that decision for myself,’” said Colin Williams, a senior at Sprague High School. At Parrish Middle School, students in multiple classes filled out an issues grid, assessing how closely presidential candidates’ platforms on the economy, immigration, abortion, gun control, the environment and other issues lined up with their own views. Esmerelda Ochoa, a dual language social studies teacher at Parrish, said about half her class is newcomer students who have recently immigrated to the U.S. Many don’t have parents who are able to vote, and some come from countries that aren’t democracies. She said she was excited for the opportunity to help them learn about the process and get more involved in voting. “A lot of them felt intimidated by the gravity of it,” she said. Sam Matthews, a social studies teacher at Parrish Middle School, hands out “I Voted” stickers to her seventh grade students after they cast their ballots in a mock election on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter) Actual student votes were entered into a Google form for tabulation at the district level. The district will send results to the League, Baruah said, and also release their own data about how various schools voted. As results have come in, she said, different schools have had very different voting patterns and favored candidates. Jacqueline Pope-Brothers, a social studies teacher at Sprague, said she always conducts mock elections in her classes. This year, she said her students voted for Donald Trump for president about 2:1. “It’s really about students figuring out what they think on their own, and then just being able to support that with evidence and reasoning,” she said. This year, she appreciated having resources from the League that were focused on being accurate and “really assisted in keeping minds open and allowing students to kind of navigate … their own belief system, and where they fall.” Salem Reporter spoke with six students at Parrish and Sprague who participated in the election. Here’s what they said. Lyric Shutt, 8th grade, Parrish Middle School Top issue: Gun violence. Shutt was in fifth grade at Grant Elementary School in 2022 when a report of a person with a gun at North Salem High School sent the campus into lockdown, and triggered security measures in her classroom. “I just feel like students should be able to go to school feeling safe and a lot of students don’t,” she said. Vote for president: Jill Stein (Green). “If I were president, I would do what she was doing,” Shutt said. Thaily Chavez, 7th grade, Parrish Middle School Top issue: Inflation and the cost of living. “Now you go into the store and you pay like $40 for 10 little things,” she said. It’s something she hears her parents talk about regularly, and she said she can’t help because she’s too young to work. “That’s all I’m worried about.” Vote for president: Deliberating between Cornel West (Progressive) and Donald Trump (Republican) because both of their platforms include measures to lower prices, she said. Luis Garibay 8th grade, Parrish Middle School Top issue: None. “I don’t really think that it’s for me,” he said of the election, though he said he appreciated learning more about party platforms. Vote for president: Leaning toward Kamala Harris (Democrat). “She just really wants to help people,” he said. Natasha Bond, 11th grade, Sprague High School Top issue: U.S. support for Ukraine.  Bond’s family came to the U.S. from Ukraine and she said her homeland wouldn’t have survived Russia’s invasion without U.S. aid. “I’m scared for my country, and I’m scared for what may happen,” she said. Vote for president: Declined to say. Matthew Meyers, 12th grade, Sprague High School Top issue: Foreign policy. He said the U.S. has a role to play in responding to and mediating international conflicts, both to defend American interests and set norms for how other countries should act. “The US response to these conflicts is going to be setting a precedent for years to come,” he said. “Depending on how strong of a stance we take with Ukraine, that’s going to influence how strong, how aggressive China is to Taiwan.” Vote for president: Kamala Harris (Democrat). “The 2024 election is going to be one of the biggest tests of American democracy since 1860,” he said. “I’m not trying to dehumanize all Republicans. But there are a lot of conservatives out there who, 2020 left a bad taste in their mouth, and they’re willing to kind of subvert this next election. I think that is a very dangerous thing for America.” Colin Williams, 12th grade, Sprague High School Top issue: Immigration. Williams said half his grandparents immigrated to the U.S., and the country should celebrate its status as a desirable destination for immigrants. “I don’t see cultural homogeneity as our strong suit. The United States has not been the strongest country in the world for 120 years because of our unique ability to stay the same,” he said. Vote for president: Kamala Harris (Democrat). “In his first term, his presidency, he was saying that he’d be willing to suspend the constitution to extend his term indefinitely,” Williams said of Trump. While he said Trump’s words are often hyperbolic, he said he’s concerned about Trump and his supporters saying they would support a Trump dictatorship. “That was just a little scary for me.” Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. 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