For Immediate Release:
November 1, 2024
Salem, OR - There were 33,654 Oregon students, from 2 elementary, 43 middle and 82 high schools, registered by their teachers to participate in the 2024 Oregon Student Mock Election (OSME) and the results are in! Participating students reside in 21 of the 36 Oregon counties. Students were offered an authentic simulation of the Oregon vote-by-mail experience, including a realistic-looking mock ballot and time to study the candidates and issues in their classrooms before voting in their mock election. Students not only learn about the specific candidates and ballot measures, but they also learn how to be an informed voter.
The League of Women Voters of Oregon (LWVOR) created a “basic” mock ballot for all Oregon students mirroring the state’s general election with three statewide contests:
United States President (federal office)
Oregon Attorney General (state office)
Ballot Measure 118: Corporate tax rebate to Oregon residents (statewide ballot measure)
Teachers were also offered the option of a fourth contest to personalize their students’ mock ballots and to reflect local elections. While most students voted using the basic Oregon mock ballot, some teachers opted for one or more of the following congressional districts and/or state, county, or city contests:
Congressional Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Ballot Measure 117 (Statewide ranked-choice voting)
Portland Mayor (Ranked-Choice Voting)
Clackamas County Commissioner Position 1
City of West Linn Councilor
Marion County Ballot Measure 24-507 (Chemeketa Community College bond measure)
Teachers were invited to provide comments and feedback with their results. Below are just a few feedback highlights in their own words.
From Lake Oswego School District: “My students really enjoyed running the election. It has been fun to hear them discuss the candidates and the issues. My colleagues have enjoyed the conversations around their classrooms, too. Thank you for all your help!!”
From North Clackamas School District: “They LOVED IT! Next election we will probably have ranked choice voting, so it could be fun to have them fill out a ranked choice ballot. I liked that the ballot had several levels of government- voting for a federal official, state, and local.”
From Klamath School District: “This was an AMAZING experience! I had students research the positions of each candidate or ballot issue and share the candidates' ideas with the rest of the class and then we voted in a makeshift voting booth at our school. Students took it very seriously and did a great job researching and sharing the positions and were excited to cast their votes. Thank you so much for doing this!!"
From Beaverton School District: “Overall this was a great experience! It was awesome to see and hear our students talking about these candidates and ballot measures. We had over 1,000 students vote and participate in this mock election. THANK YOU for organizing all of this and allowing us to participate in this! We are excited to see the Oregon and the National results.”
All public, private, charter, and homeschool educators across the state are invited to participate in LWVOR mock elections. To prepare students for an informed voting experience, registered educators receive mock ballots, instructions, lesson plans with many activities and linked resources, and the LWVOR award-winning Civic Education Curriculum, with 5 units on different aspects of voting in Oregon. If educators want to make sure they are on the mailing list for the next mock election (Oregon Primary Election 2026), they can leave their contact information, using the “Register Here” button, year-round on our website: www.lwvor.org/mock-election.
With the majority of student voting completed, here are the statewide 2024 OSME results:
● Kamala Harris won US President with 54% of the student vote.
● Dan Rayfield won Oregon Attorney General with 64% of the student vote.
● Oregon Ballot Measure 118 failed with 52% of the students voting NO.
Local mock ballots results:
● Oregon Ballot Measure 117 passed with 72% of the students voting YES.
● Marion County Ballot Measure 24-507 passed with 78% of the students voting YES.
● Cliff Bentz won US Congressional District 2 with 61% of the vote.
● Maxine Dexter won US Congressional District 3 with 42% of the vote.
● Val Hoyle won US Congressional District 4 with 52% of the vote.
● Janelle Bynum won US Congressional District 5 with 52% of the vote.
● Andrea Salinas won US Congressional District 6 with 57% of the vote.
● Craig Roberts won Clackamas County Commissioner Position 1 with 59% of the vote.
● Mary Baumgardner won City of West Linn Councilor with 49% of the vote.
The LWVOR would like to commend the several Portland area schools who held a ranked-choice mock election for Portland Mayor. Not only did students participate in the ranked voting process they also counted the votes at their individual schools. While Mingus Mapps and Keith Wilson split the wins in most schools, requiring several rounds of counting for each, Durrell Kinsey Bey won in one round at Alice Ott Middle School, where he is a much-loved teacher. Our congratulations to Mr. Bey!
LWVOR’s free and open civics resources are available year-round on the website: LWVOR.org/mock-election.
Contact:
503-581-5722
League of Women Voters of Oregon
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