Grenada Upper Elementary students take the importance of voting very seriously.
Students can check out Promote the Vote 2008 at http://www.sos.state.ms.us/ptv/
On October 19, 2007, GUES hosted our first ever Promote the Vote. State and local politicians, as well as Mississippi’s First Lady, Marsha Barbour spoke to students, teachers and local residents about every citizen’s responsibility to get involved politically. She advised them to learn all you can about candidates running for office, and most importantly to vote.
 
The education portion of the Promote the Vote program went on for several weeks and included activities such as student-developed radio ads, a poster contest, a statewide mock election, a voter registration drive for the area’s parents and community, and a demonstration on how the new electronic voting machine works.
Promote the Vote is a program organized by the Mississippi Secretary of State Eric Clark’s office. The goal of the program is to garner an increased awareness and understanding of the democratic process, and involve the students politically.
Martha Britt, a fifth grade looping teacher and program coordinator said, “The children know they can’t vote, but realize that it is something they need to learn about.” Britt hopes the lesson will be one the students take beyond the classroom and will affect their future and influence better voting habits in their parents.
Promote the Vote at Grenada Upper Elementary concluded with a balloon release. A special card was attached to each balloon with a message. The message read:
The right to vote is the most important right in a democracy, the means by which we can build the kind of government that we wish. It is up to us to be responsible and cast our vote during election time. If we don’t, we have no right to complain about the results. At Grenada Upper Elementary we believe in America and we are Promoting the Vote today, October 19, 2007. If you get this balloon, please call us at 662-226-2818.
 
We are so excited that Promote the Vote with GUES balloons have been discovered in these locations:
North Port, Alabama by Ronnie Putman,
Ithaca, New York by Susan Eyster,
Caledonia, Mississippi by Jerry Harrell,
Danders, Tennessee by Jon Burleson,
Warren, Pennsylvania by Dale Kenney, and
Fayette, Alabama by Debra Filler.
The hope of Grenada Upper Elementary students is that other Americans will be inspired by their efforts and not take the right to vote for granted.
Check out our mock election results at http://www.sos.state.ms.us/ptv/Results.asp
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