Students at Venice High School walked onto campus and into a voting booth Tuesday. Venice High School was just one of many schools to participate in the California Student Mock Election, a statewide campaign to rally students' interest in voting by informing them about their responsibilities within a democracy.
Many students who are 18 and about to participate in their first election are excited to finally be included in the political process.
When asked why she's attending the student mock election, senior Destiny De Marras initially joked and said, "I'm here to get extra credit in my government class."
After chuckling at her own statement, the newly turned 18-year-old shared a deeper reflection: "It's important for young people like us to hold the candidates accountable to the issues we care about. That way, politicians aren't just saying things for publicity."
Another senior and first time voter Deija Todd felt that this mock election served as a useful practice for November, especially for decisions beyond the presidential election.
"I read about some of the propositions before today's event so I'd know what I'm voting 'yes' or 'no' on," Todd said.
Todd's classmate Nick Shekelle is 17 and won't be able to cast a vote this November. Still, today's mock election pushed him to think about the policy issues that matter to him and his peers.
"I care about education. I know right now we have tons of student debt because colleges are so expensive, so I hope to hear more from [Donald] Trump and Hillary [Clinton] about their plans to make college more affordable," Shekelle said.
A common critique of young voters is that they're not adequately informed. However, social media is changing that.
Shekelle shared that he and his friends live streamed the presidential debates on YouTube and followed audience reactions on Twitter. In fact, these debates have largely shaped his opinions about the two major presidential candidates.
"If I were able to vote, I'd definitely choose Hillary. If Trump isn't even fit to run a business, I don't see how he could run a country," Shekelle said.
As the face of California Student Mock Election, California Secretary of State Alex Padilla spent his afternoon at Venice High School's mock polling stations encouraging students to fill out the sample ballots.
Although this was just one stop in Padilla's final push to get California voters registered before the Oct. 24 deadline, he sees the student population as a particularly important sector to engage.
"When we look at the numbers, young people ages 18-35 could be the biggest group of potential voters. Imagine how the politics of our country would be different if more young people registered and voted," Padilla said.
A goal of California Student Mock Election is to ensure that students are aware that that other offices up for election are equally important to the presidential election.
"Students need to know that they're not just voting for president," Padilla noted. "They also have to vote for state propositions and local propositions, and when you don't vote, your voice is not heard."
Some students were confused by all the propositions on the mock ballot, but Padilla says that's exactly why he supports student mock elections.
"Students have to do a little homework before they vote… better to learn it through a mock election than when you show up for the first time when you're 18 and stuck in a polling booth not knowing what to do," Padilla said.
Annenberg Media