Vista del Lago High School Students Cast Ballots in Mock Election

More than 600 Vista del Lago High School students participated in the MyVote California Student Mock Election, sponsored by the California Secretary of State’s office, designed to help young people discover the importance of elections and the power of their votes in our democracy. More than 1,300 schools and 787,000 students participated statewide a week ahead of the Nov. 4 election. Vista del Lago students’ support in California’s gubernatorial race defied current polls, which continue to predict Gov. Brown should win at least 55 percent of the vote. Vista del Lago student voters have the governor squeaking past his main challenger, Neel Kashkari, by just two percent. Social Science teacher Tami DePasse said her students were moved not by the polls but by the candidates. “Many students told me that they really felt like a young person of immigrant parents would represent them better,” she explained. Students also weighed-in on state ballot measures, approving all but two. They supported propositions 1, 2, 45 and 46, while rejecting propositions 47 and 48. Their support for Proposition 45, concerning “fair and transparent insurance rates,” showed they were not swayed by the close to $50 million (Los Angeles Times, Oct. 15, 2014) spent to defeat it. Students supported Proposition 46, the “Patient Safety Act,” by the widest margin of all, 337-185, against the $57 million opposition campaign (Los Angeles Times, Oct. 21, 2014). DePasse said her students were very well prepared to vote, having researched and discussed the political process for weeks and engaged in lively debates, both in and out of the classroom. Statewide mock election results will be posted by the Secretary of State online here: http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/mock-election/mock-election-results.htm