TUSCOLA, Ill. – Seventeen Moultrie-Douglas 4-H members in first through fifth grade recently participated in a hands-on 4-H Voter Academy hosted by County Clerk and Recorder, Judi Pollock, and her staff in an after school program held on Monday, October 19. This interactive program gave youth an exciting opportunity to learn how elections work and why voting is an important civic responsibility.
The event began with a tour of the County Clerk's office, where members learned about the many responsibilities handled by the office. Judi then led a read-aloud of All About Voting by Dr. Seuss, followed by a fun voting trivia activity that tested participants' knowledge about elections and government.
To provide a realistic voting experience, youth took part in a mock election featuring favorite Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals players as candidates for various public offices, including President of the United States, Governor, Congress, State Representative, County Clerk, Treasurer, Sheriff, Coroner, County Board Member, and Judge. Members also voted on where an Opening Day Cubs-Cardinals baseball game should be held.
Before voting, each participant went through the same process real voters experience. Judi Pollock and her staff had all youth "pre-registered" to vote. Members checked in, provided their address, signed in, and received their ballot. They then had the option to cast their vote electronically on a voting machine or complete a traditional paper ballot and feed it into the tabulating machine.
When the ballots were counted, the Cubs dominated the election, winning the majority of offices, while the Cardinals were unable to secure any elected positions.
More importantly than the election results, youth left with a stronger understanding of the democratic process. Participants learned who can vote, when citizens are eligible to vote, why voting matters, and the different ways ballots can be cast. Through this engaging, hands-on experience, members gained valuable knowledge about citizenship and civic engagement while having fun along the way. Juliana Holmes, member of the Villa Grove Grover Clovers shared "I liked getting to know more about voting and then we actually got to vote!"
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 500 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through five program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, health and community wellness, and natural resources, environment, and energy.