Dover, DE – Election Day is still a few days away, but Delaware students tallied their votes for statewide offices today in Dover at the 2018 Student Mock Election Convention. In what’s become a bellwether for elections in Delaware, students picked incumbents Sen. Tom Carper and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester to continue representing the First State in Washington.

With nearly 30,000 votes cast by students across 142 Delaware schools, delegates convened in Legislative Hall to announce their winners. Down ballot, victories went to Colleen Davis for state treasurer, Kathleen McGuiness for auditor of accounts and Kathleen Jennings for attorney general. (Full Student Mock Election Results here.)

Since 2010, the Student Mock Election has correctly predicted the results of 18 out of 21 statewide races in Delaware, an 86-percent accuracy rate.

“There’s no more fundamental duty in our democracy than the casting of your vote, and I’m proud to know that thousands of Delaware students are learning from an early age just how important that responsibility is,” said Gov. John Carney. “I want to thank the teachers who make this program a success, and all the students who made their voices heard this week.”

Each election year, the Student Mock Election is conducted by teachers statewide in partnership with the Office of the State Elections Commissioner, the Delaware Department of State, the University of Delaware Democracy Project and the League of Women Voters. Coupled with lesson plans and classroom discussion about elections and the democratic process, fourth through 12th grade students have access to a special online voting portal in their schools administered by state elections officials and the Department of Technology and Information.

“Being informed about the candidates and the issues at stake is just as important as casting that ballot on Election Day, and every election year I’m impressed by the level of engagement our students bring to this program,” said Elections Commissioner Elaine Manlove. “These students are thoughtful, educated, respectful and opinionated – just what Delaware should want in its future generations of voters.”

“The Student Mock Election is one of my favorite events of the election season, since the results historically have been a pretty good predictor of the real outcomes on Election Day,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “To all the students who participated, hold on to that enthusiasm after you turn 18 and don’t let an election go by without fulfilling your civic duty.”

Friday’s convention also featured awards for the schools with the highest rates of voter participation: Newark Charter School, Charter School of Wilmington, and Wilmington Christian School; and the most spirited student delegation: Odyssey Charter School.

DOVER – Delaware will not comply with a request from the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to provide the panel with sensitive voter registration information including personal identification details for hundreds of thousands of Delawareans.

“Releasing this information to the White House would not serve the mission of safeguarding the fairness and integrity of elections in Delaware and would not be in the best interests of Delaware voters,” said State Election Commissioner Elaine Manlove.

“Delaware has a long history of running fair and efficient elections open to all qualified voters. We should not be a part of any effort to turn back the clock on the progress we have made,” said Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock. “Delaware will not be a party to this disingenuous and inappropriate campaign against one of the nation’s foundational institutions.”

A letter requesting the voter information was received by Secretary Bullock and forwarded to Commissioner Manlove. Unlike many states, elections in Delaware are not administered by the secretary of state. The election commissioner is an independent, non-partisan official appointed by the governor to a 10-year term and confirmed by the state Senate. The commissioner is the primary overseer of all state and local elections in Delaware, and is the custodian of the state’s voter rolls.

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Contact: Elaine Manlove
Office of the State Election Commissioner
elaine.manlove@delaware.gov
302-739-4277

Dover –  With Election Day just a few days away, thousands of students across Delaware made their selections known today at the 2016 Student Mock Election Convention, tallying up victories for Democrats including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the presidential contest and Congressman John Carney in the race for Delaware governor.

After three days of polling in more than 180 schools, delegates from up and down the First State convened in Legislative Hall to count the votes and announce their winners. In addition to Clinton and Carney, the students also chose Democrats across Delaware’s other statewide races, tapping state Sen. Bethany Hall Long for lieutenant governor, Lisa Blunt Rochester for representative in Congress, and Trinidad Navarro for insurance commissioner. (Click here for full results of the election.) Since 2010, the Student Mock Election has correctly predicted the results of 13 out of 16 statewide races in Delaware, an 81-percent accuracy rate.

“Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy and this program brings that fact to the forefront for our students at an early age, then reminds them of how important it is as they approach the age when they’ll be voting for real,” said Governor Jack Markell. “I want to thank all of our teachers for putting their time and effort into this, and especially the students from all across Delaware who cast their votes this week.”

Each election year, the Student Mock Election is conducted by teachers statewide in partnership with the Department of State, the Office of the State Elections Commissioner, the University of Delaware Democracy Project and the League of Women Voters. Coupled with lesson plans and classroom discussion about elections and the democratic process, fourth through 12th grade students were given access to a special online voting portal in their schools from Monday, Oct. 31 until the polls closed on Wednesday, Nov. 2.

“Being a good citizen means exercising your right to vote, but it also means doing your homework about the people serving in office and those who are seeking office,” said Secretary of State Jeff Bullock. “That’s the key component of the Mock Election program, not only preparing our students for the act of voting, but teaching them what it means to be voters.”

“Every election year I’m more impressed by the young people who participate in this program, and the level of awareness and intelligence they have when it comes to the election, the candidates and the issues,” said Elections Commissioner Elaine Manlove. “If this is what the next generation of voters looks like, then our country and our state will be in good hands.”

Friday’s convention also featured awards for the schools with the highest rates of voter participation: Charter School of Wilmington, Newark Charter School and Campus Community Charter School; and the most spirited student delegation: Capital School District.