LYNWOOD — On a day when presidential primaries were held in four states, Lynwood High School held a mock presidential election March 8 to help students learn the primary process, know the candidates as well as understand the issues and the importance of voting.
Students campaigned with colorful and informative signs, standing behind tables that lined “Presidential Walk” between the school’s administrative building and library, where the election was held. More than 1,000 students from 50 classes turned out to hear government and economic policies debated among five candidates before stepping into the voting booths to cast their votes.
The mock election was part of a nationwide event sponsored by the National Research Center for College and University Admissions. Instructor Claudia Alfaro’s government classes partnered with instructor Lorraine Abbass’ economics class and prepared for more than a month for the mock election as a way to spark a lifetime awareness of civic responsibility.
“We wanted to create immediate interest in the candidates and the issues and stimulate discussion about the American political system,’’ Abbass said. “It was also a way to initiate debate on the role of the media covering the event.”
Students from the two classes collaborated, picked their candidate from among the top five contenders, researched their government and economic policies and built their candidates’ campaign strategy.
“The mock election provided our students with the hands-on experience of running a campaign, really mirroring the primary process through campaigning and speeches,” Lynwood Unified School District Superintendent Paul Gothold said. “It is very important for them to know that they have a say in our government process.”
“This was great practice for our students to learn about the importance of being informed when it’s time to vote, the voting process and how to use an election ballot,” school board President Alma-Delia Renteria said. “It won’t be long before they’ll be voting for the next president of the United States and participating in the democratic process. In the meantime, they practiced and made candidate choices.”
Senior Michael Andrade drew a lot of attention as he portrayed Republican front-runner Donald Trump. Andrade sported a blonde wig and did his best to answer questions from aggressive prospective voters.
Andrade was surprised by the support he received and said he thought he flipped a number of voters.
“I’m actually getting a lot of positive reaction and I’ve managed to win some votes,” Andrade said. “The voters have been impressed with the facts that I’ve presented here today.”
Brian Nuñez led Democratic front-runner Hilary Clinton’s campaign across the hallway, telling students to back his candidate if they wanted to receive help with aid for college tuition.
“It’s exciting to be here, but at the same time the voters can make you nervous because some of them hit you with a lot of questions,” he said. “You have to have a well-rounded understanding of the issues to be able to answer them.”
Carlos Ortega played Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders, laying out his plan to narrow the income gap between the rich and the poor, address illegal immigration and improve healthcare. Looking conspicuously inconspicuous, while his bodyguard, Miguel Carrera, stood behind him in a dark suit, dark glasses and a wired earpiece.
“It’s tough to tell whether (Sanders) is being approached by friends or attackers,” he said. “But the campaign has been very inspiring and has gone really well.”
The sealed ballots were mailed to the National Research Center for College and University Admissions, which will tabulate them and send Lynwood its results. The school anticipates announcing the winning candidate sometime this spring.
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