MTS Election Results - Party Animals Prevail!

The Two Parties

MTS hosted its own election this year to teach students about democracy and how U.S. elections work. The school created a two-party system led by 8th graders, each with their own platform. The Party Animals platform included a pumpkin pie snack, a pajama day spirit day, and Head of School Andrew Davis dressing up as Vector from Despicable Me. A Savannah Banana party platform vote would mean a chocolate chip cookie snack, a college sports spirit day, and Andrew dressing up as an Oompaloompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. There was a lot at stake!

The MTS Electoral College

Behind the scenes, the 5th graders, led by DJ Thistle in math class, determined how the electoral college would work at the school. They calculated the number of electors each class would get based on its population. The Professional Community, which would also be voting, would also receive electoral votes. 
 

Voter Registration

Both students and the Professional Community were required to register to vote in order to participate in the election. Registration was recorded through an online form. 
 

Student Presentations

Eighth graders presented their platforms at an all school Gather, and the 5th graders explained the electoral college. At the end of the Gather, buddy bears got together, and the 8th graders talked through the U.S. voting system with their younger counterparts. 
 

1st Grade Polling

Before voting day, classes also explored democracy during individual lesson plans. In Robin Davis's 1st grade math class, for example, the students polled 3rd and 7th graders to determine which issues were most important to voters. The lesson allowed 1st graders to practice tallies, a standard unit in the curriculum, learn about polling in elections, and find out what mattered most to their fellow students. 
 

Voting Day!

On Tuesday, November 5th, MTS students voted at designated voting booths on campus. After checking to be sure students were registered, they were given a ballot and sent to a voting booth. Once their ballot was put in an official election box, they received an "I Voted" sticker. Committed students waited in line for their turn to vote. 
 

Party Campaigning

Both parties campaigned hard in the weeks before the election, and the intensity ratcheted up significantly in the days before Election Day. The Party Animals campaigned particularly hard, handing out round buttons that many students wore around campus and posting a large sign at morning drop-off on voting day. 
 

Official Vote Count

After the voting stations closed, the 5th grade class gathered all the voting drop boxes. Before the count, they signed a pledge not to reveal the results before the official announcement. The 5th graders then sorted the ballots, tallying up the votes by grade, and recording the results on official documentation. 
 

The Results

With the final results tallied, the clear winner was the Party Animals. They ended up with 100% of the electoral votes and 69% of the popular vote. It seems their platform most resonated with voters! The designated 5th grade electors recorded a video with Andrew to communicate the results. The video was shown on Wednesday, November 6th to students in grades K-5 during a lower school gather and middle school students watched it during their morning advisory. Watch the video of the results here. 
 

Inauguration Day

"Inauguration Day" is scheduled for Friday, November 22, before Thanksgiving break, when students will dress for pajama day, taste pumpkin pie during morning recess, and witness Head of School Andrew Davis dressed up as Vector from Despicable Me. The MTS election brought democracy closer to home for MTS students and a lot of learning and a lot of fun was had through the entire process.