: National Student/Parent Mock Election

NSPME

Dear PTA Leaders:

I am proud to announce an exciting new partner in PTA’s ongoing efforts to connect children, families, and schools. PTA will work alongside the National Student/Parent Mock Election (NSPME) for the 2008 Mock Election, taking place on October 30th of this year.

Since its inception in 1980, NSPME has remained committed to making our nation’s government and electoral process more accessible to the generations that will someday speak for us all. Through the Mock Election, NSPME engages young people and their parents, facilitating a dialogue between them that is truly invaluable; by voting on both candidates and contemporary issues, this project initiates an important discussion on the responsibility and power we all have as citizens.

As members of PTA, parents and community leaders are called upon to be strong advocates for all children. The 2008 Mock Election, however, will provide students from elementary school through high school with an opportunity to speak up for themselves. Not only will children discover that their voice and their priorities are valued, but families and schools will learn about what matters to youth—in their own communities and across the country.

In addition, our partnership with NSPME will help us reach school communities where PTA has been absent for far too long. In 2004, over 4 million Americans, both domestic and abroad, voted in the Mock Election. This is a tremendous opportunity to show how effective PTA can be in making the voices of our nation’s students and families be heard.

I encourage you to support the 2008 Mock Election by getting involved and promoting this valuable program in your state. Coordinators are needed at the state and local level. Volunteers are also needed to assist coordinators with a myriad of responsibilities, including:

Gaining approval and support from school and district administrators;
Building community support and involvement;
Dissemination of information to parents, teachers, principals, and school boards;
Assisting teachers in planning education activities; and
Election day on-site voter assistance and ballot tallying.

Jan Harp Domene, PTA National President

If you have any additional questions about the Mock Election or how your PTA can be involved, please contact Jim Vanderhook, Public Policy Specialist in PTA’s National Office of Programs and Public Policy, at 202-289-6790 x-211 or jvanderhook@pta.org.

Third Party Resources

Sign up to be part of the Mock Election

National Student/Parent Mock Election Website

Additional Resources

Mock Election Fact Sheet
Overview and FAQs on National Student/Parent Mock Election