Students Voting Statewide Mock Election

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: Young people who learn the mechanics of voting (the how-to) are more likely to vote the first time they are eligible.  Mock elections- what a ballot looks like, how you vote on it, what are the offices, what does a polling place look like and what are they going to ask me, is there voting early, WHAT DO I BELIEVE?- demystify voting, and reduce the discomfort that keeps many young people from voting.  It's just that simple.

Students Voting is Minnesota's statewide K-12 mock election program.

We are excited to announce the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State and the YMCA Center for Youth Voice are working together again in 2026 to help students statewide discover the importance of elections and the power of their voice – and their vote – in our democracy .

Students Voting gives teachers at all grade levels the tools and resources to expose their students to a comprehensive voting experience that includes learning about candidates and issues, voter registration, and casting a ballot on or before Election day.

"Thanks for running this program. Last time it was very helpful for my students to see that students from other schools from around the state saw the election and the world differently than they did." -John

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"We have been working with the students voting program for a number of years. AND we're already signed up for next year. It's an interesting program, and I think for my "greater Minnesota" kids, the data we have access to, afterwards that allows them to compare themselves to "The Cities" and other regions of the State have been impactful.  It promotes educated voting, and isn't that what we want too?" -Matt

Overview

2026 will be a big another big election year with the Minnesota Constitutional Officers (Governor/Lt. Governor, Attorney general, Secretary of State, and State Auditor), a U.S. Senate seat, U.S. House and MN House and Senate races, and more! Civic participation is a core Minnesota value, and Students Voting is a great opportunity to get good habits started early with soon-to-be voters. That is why this statewide mock election will return in fall of 2026. What do participants get?

• hands-on experience with the electoral process (which increases voter turnout the first time they are eligible)
  
  
• a customized mock ballot that comes right from the real ballot, and have their top statewide and national votes tallied and shared
  
  
• an early connection to the sense of the responsibility and power they will soon hold as voters.
  
  Students Voting is designed to give schools and teachers both flexibility and support.
  
  Schools will receive everything they need: printable customized realistic election ballots; tabletop voting booths; “I Voted” stickers; resources and lesson plans that teachers may use; and creative ideas for making your election a success.

How it works

1. register your school to participate
When registering, select a contact person for your school who will help coordinate the mock election. Any group or individual can be responsible for coordinating the mock election, whether it’s student government, a teacher, a student group, or a committee of students, teachers and parents. Whatever you decide, we’ll need one contact person to receive updates and provide our office with vote totals after the election.

2. Decide how your election will work.
Voting can take place in one central location, in individual classrooms, or something entirely different. Each school has unique needs and you have the flexibility to carry out your mock election as you see fit. Students Voting partners with Ballot Ready to supply unbiased candidate information, office descriptions, and a fun, informative dashboard of the results of the mock election.  Want more?  Publicly available resources like Learning Law and Democracy Foundation’s civics lesson finder, iCivics, and much more are there for you to use if you wish.  You might incorporate lessons and activities such as holding a student debate, creating campaign materials, political cartoons, or propaganda.  Encourage learning beyond a presentation with discussions about why voting matters, how to evaluate media information about candidates, how to hold civil conversations about challenging topics, and other essential civic skills.  WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

3. Receive your materials in October.
Schools that sign up in time will receive materials, including a customized mock election ballot (emailed), and tabletop voting booths, and “I voted” stickers by mail.  Later-registering schools will only receive the electronic version of the customized ballot by email.

4. Vote early or on Election Day.
If it's better for you, early voting (just like Minnesota voters get to do) is an option. 

5. Report your results by Tuesday, November 3.
To be included in the official results, we’ll need your vote tallies no later than Election Day at 5 p.m. (Parents/guardians and civic organizations can be wonderful poll workers to help tally the votes.)

6. View statewide results on Wednesday, November 4.
Share the results with your students and have a discussion about what they mean.  Explore the demographic differences and similarities school to school and regionally.  Connect with other participating schools for combined video-conference discussions or activities. The learning doesn't stop after the polls close.

Common Questions

Is Students Voting only for high school students?
NO!  Any school or homeschool program can participate!  It is never too early to learn about civics, elections, and the power of your voice! Ask us about how to best approach voting and the election for your school’s grade levels.

Do other states hold mock elections?
Yes, many Secretary of State offices offer statewide mock elections for students. For example:

• California has been running a successful statewide student mock election with schools since 2006, with over 250,000 students participating.
  
  
• In Iowa, nearly 60,000 students participated in the statewide Youth Presidential Straw Poll ahead of Iowa Caucuses. Students from over 250 schools participated.
  
  

Can our school vote before Election Day?
Most Students Voting schools will hold their elections on Tuesday, November 3th, but each school is free to offer early voting. In any case, each school submits all of their school’s results at one time. School choice and customization is at the heart of Students Voting. No matter when they hold their election, every school will still have access to all Students Voting materials and resources.

The 2024 Participant List was 539 schools long!
Here is who has signed on so far for this year:

We hope you will join us in 2026.