FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, April 7, 2023
Contact: Mimi Alkire, LWVPDX lwvpdx.org www.lwvor.org/mock-election
503.680.4184
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF PORTLAND ANNOUNCES STUDENT MOCK ELECTION AS PART OF THE MAY 2023 SPECIAL DISTRICT ELECTIONS
This is an opportunity for Multnomah County students, in grades 6 through 12, to have an authentic Oregon voting experience. They will learn to vote with realistic mock ballots containing two of the same ballot measures that will appear in the May 16, 2023 Special Election in the cities of Portland and Gresham. The number of registered students, along with the Spring 2023 Special District Elections mock ballot results, will be released prior to Election Day, May 19, 2023.
Invitations to participate in this year’s Multnomah County Student Mock Election have been extended by phone, mail, or delivered in person to all Portland and Gresham public middle and high schools by local neighborhood League of Women Voters member volunteers. Educator and classroom registration, lesson plan distribution, and training on ballot measure analysis followed by mock ballot distribution are commencing.
City of Portland Student Mock Ballots will include: ● Multnomah County Measure 26-238 (establishes residential tenant resources program, eviction representation, capital gains tax), and ● City of Portland Measure 26-240 (renew Portland Children's Levy investment for five years). Gresham Student Mock Ballots will include the Multnomah County Measure 26-238 along with:
● City of Gresham Measure 26-239 (five-year operating levy for police, fire, homeless and crisis response)
Registered educators will receive access to the free League of Women Voters of Oregon award-winning “Civics Education” curriculum, a comprehensive lesson plan with linked resources, additional website resources, and instructions to prepare students for an informed and authentic voting experience on mock ballots. These free and open civics resources are available to educators YEAR-ROUND on the mock election website LWVOR.org.
Teachers report their students take researched analysis and ballot measure explanations from mock election lessons home to their families and start thoughtful, effective, issue-centered discussions that benefit their communities. The National Association of Student Councils and National Association of Post- Secondary Principals also recommend mock elections to provide leadership roles for students. Mock elections are very popular with educators and students, and the press can bring welcome visibility to civics in action.
The League of Women Voters of Portland is a 103-year-old grassroots nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government. We envision informed Oregonians participating in a fully accessible, responsive, and transparent government to achieve the common good. The League never supports or opposes any candidate or political party.