Today is Presidential Election Day in the United States and in the first grade classroom! While first graders might not be able to cast their own official ballot at the polls for a few more years, they are able to cast their ballot at The Summit! This week, first graders learned all about elections and why we vote, including important terms such as “ballot”, “poll”, “candidate”, “registration” and more.
First, students needed to register to vote in advance. Our classroom deadline to register was Monday at 3pm, so students needed to complete their registration on Monday afternoon. They learned that the voting age in the United States is 18, but the official voting age in the first grade classroom is 5 1/2 years old. Luckily, everyone in our classroom is of voting age. They completed the necessary paperwork and then brought their registration to the officials (Ms. Ursino), who put their paperwork on file and helped them complete their voter registration card – complete with a hand-drawn photo. They were instructed to keep their voter registration card safe, as it is an important government document. Registering is important to ensure that each person gets the chance to cast their vote exactly one time!
On Tuesday, we began our day by talking about the importance of respecting the opinions of others. Students learned that who you vote for is your personal choice and you do not have to share it with others. Voters have the right to cast their ballot in secret. With this in mind, we agreed to keep our personal opinions private so we could focus on learning about the voting process. Throughout the day, first graders were very respectful of keeping their opinions private and being kind to their classmates.
Students got to see the pictures and names of both presidential candidates and their running mates. First graders learned many things about a presidency including 4-year terms, the White House, and the job of the vice president. We also learned that voters can help make decisions about laws in addition to electing our officials. We discussed that the word “amend” means to make a change to something. On our ballot was an amendment to our classroom rules. Classroom Amendment 1 was as follows: Should first grade students be required to run or walk one lap before beginning their recess?
Finally, we learned about some final details of casting a ballot. Polling places are selected based on your address and typically held in community buildings such as schools or churches. The polling place for our classroom is the commons space. There is no talking in the polling place and no one may promote their preferred candidate with signs, shirts or other methods within a certain distance so everyone may have the chance to vote however they please without pressure.
When the polls finally opened, first graders lined up with their voter registration cards excited to cast their ballot! Each one presented their ID to the poll worker and waited their turn to vote in the booth. Lines were long but eventually every student cast their ballot in secret! As they exited the polling place, students even received their very own I Voted sticker – a staple of the voting experience!
First graders noticed that the voting stickers they received at the poll seemed to be hand-drawn! We watched a video about a student in Willard who was the winner of the Greene County I Voted sticker contest in 2023. We looked at many examples of past I Voted stickers and noticed that nearly all of them were red, white and blue and included the phrase “I Voted!”. With this in mind, first graders set out to create their own one of a kind I Voted stickers using sticker paper!
It was so cool to see first graders taking part in an important and exciting time in our country. Ask your child about their experience voting at school, and bring them along on your trip to the polls if you can! Happy voting!
