It was a typical event seen ahead of Election Day anywhere across the country. The political party representatives made their final arguments and asked the audience for their support. What was atypical is that it occurred in a middle school gymnasium. On the morning of Nov. 4, the Lake Bluff Middle School held its traditional town hall the day before the presidential election, lasting about 40 minutes. Continuing a longstanding school tradition that goes back at least to 1976, 12 selected eighth-grade students offered their perspectives on why voters should support a particular party and candidate in front of the entire LBMS student body plus many proud family members. Simulating the process Americans participated in from coast to coast, the students used the information and cast ballots in replicas of both the popular and electoral votes. The Lake Bluff Middle School student body voted in a simulated election after the town hall. (Daniel I. Dorfman/ For the Pioneer Press) “The goal is to help them understand how they can be informed citizens and understand how our system of democracy works around elections,” District 65 Superintendent Lisa Leali said. After doing their research for the past few weeks, the students offered their version of Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green Party platforms regarding the issues currently facing the United States. To get prepared, school officials directed the students – who volunteered to take part – toward non-partisan websites such as one offered by Britannica to get information and then present it to the audience. In brief summations, the students (three for each political party) offered what they believed their party positions on topics ranging from the economy, foreign policy, immigration, student debt, climate change, and health care. Specifically, they detailed viewpoints on issues including the conflict in Gaza, an expansion of health care, military spending and taxes. Jacob Kasdin speaks on behalf of the Green Party at Lake Bluff Middle School. (Daniel I. Dorfman/ For the Pioneer Press) Using the information, the decision was in the hands of the students who made their choices during the school’s lunch periods. “Voting is a cornerstone of democracy,” reminded Avery Mac Arthur, one of the two event’s two moderators. Principal Nate Blackmer noted there was great interest in the entire exercise as voter registration was 94 % in the 6th grade, 90 % in the 7th, and 81 % in the 8th. He later reported that 241 LBMS students cast their votes representing 79 % of the total middle school enrollment. “We encouraged and reminded them – but did not require them to register,” he said. “That was part of the lesson.” Kyle Gerber delivers a Republican talking point during the town hall at Lake Bluff Middle School. (Daniel I. Dorfman/ For the Pioneer Press) It turned out to be a good day for the Democrats as Vice President Kamala Harris got 38 % of the popular vote and 349 electoral votes. Former President Donald Trump received 25 % of the popular vote with 153 electoral votes. Green Party candidate Jill Stein took third with 32 popular votes and 10 electoral votes with Libertarian Chase Oliver with 17 electoral votes along with 13 popular votes. Jane Twohig, a 7th grade social studies teacher prepared the students ahead of the town hall and was anxious to see the first-hand civics lesson and the corresponding skills it might bring for them down the road. “It is exciting for me to see kids realize that not only will their vote make a difference,” she said. “But also seeing them start to think like a political scientist.” Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.