Two Cullman County schools have been preparing a new generation of voters by discussing the importance of civic engagement and teaching students how Alabama elections work  before, during and after Election Day.

The last three national elections have produced some of the highest voter turnout results in decades but Alabama’s numbers have begun to lag behind national averages according to a recent report from the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama. Roughly two-thirds of the population turned out for the 2020 presidential election — more than any national election since 1900 — Alabama’s participation rate fell below the national average for the first time since 2004. Midterm elections have fared worse. Only 37 percent of the state’s eligible voters cast a ballot in the 2022 general election.

Teachers at both Holly Pond and Fairview high schools are hoping that by educating their students on the election process those numbers may soon begin to turn around.

Fairview High School students held an election of their own Monday, Nov. 4, the day before the U.S. General Election but History teacher Leedell Cook said the lesson had been an ongoing one for the past several months. She said years ago the school’s history teachers began conducting mock elections every four years to coincide with presidential elections. Leading up to Monday’s mock election, classes covered different aspects of the voting process such as how to register to vote, how to find your polling place and what students would need to do in order to cast a ballot on Election Day.

“We hope that if they can learn how the process works and what they will experience when they go to the polls that it will encourage them to get out and vote and become a part of the process,” Cook said.

Classes were brought into the school’s auditorium throughout the day on Monday where they were required to present their student IDs in order to receive a sample ballot. They then entered into makeshift voting booths in order to fill out their ballots much like they would during a real election.

Josie Earl and Janie-Claire Pace are both Fairview students who both said they are feeling much more confident about their desire to become civically engaged after having learned more about the voting process.

“I’m about to turn 18 and I had no idea how to do any of this. So, now I know how to actually vote and how to bubble everything in. We also learned about all of the steps your vote has to go through with the State and how many electoral votes each state gets,” Earl said.

“I definitely learned a lot. I always thought that you would just go in and write down the name of the President and just turn in a little slip of paper. I did not know you had to bubble everything in and fill out this whole entire thing,” Pace said.

Alabama Rep. Randall Shedd (R-Fairview) visited the school during the mock election. He said while he developed an appreciation for politics at a very early age by watching the election results come at the Cullman County Courthouse with his father. He also said he understood not every child’s parents were as engaged as his were and was pleased with the school’s efforts to help students understand the importance of their voices.

“They are certainly our future but I think they are our present as well in terms of what’s important and what’s on their minds,” Shedd said. “I saw a lot of them asking questions here today and that’s good for them to learn in this setting so that won’t feel intimidated when they go tomorrow or when they get the chance to legally vote.”

Holly Pond High School History teacher Morris Williams said he still remembers casting his first vote during the 1988 Presidential Election and has spent the past 20 years of his teaching career encouraging his students to participate in the voting process. Williams said he has shied away from discussing specific political issues but also spent the day walking his classes through the voting process.

“I’m not politicking, I don’t do that. I just want people to be aware,” Williams said.

Several of Williams’ students said they have come to understand the importance of their votes as they begin preparing to transition into life after high school.

“These choices we make can help our futures depending on the path that you choose,” Evan Roden, a Holly Pond High School senior, said.

Cook said the teachers have steered clear of discussing individual candidates or political issues during their lessons but have encouraged students to conduct their own research on issues they find important. She said they have also students to familiarize themselves with down-ballot candidates and local amendments to be as informed as possible when they go to the polls.

“We have been able to talk about the importance of getting to know your candidates and paying attention to the issues. If something is important to you then you need to speak your voice and this is the way you speak your voice,” Cook said. “I don’t know if students understand the importance and that their vote really matters. That is something that we are also trying to convey.”

Pace said that was a lesson she has taken to heart.

“I kind of thought that if you don’t like either candidate then you just shouldn’t vote at all but there is always going to be one who is better and you need to get your opinion out there no matter what,” Pace said.