Sequoyah Mock Election 2024: an Exercise in the Democratic Process
Pasadena Election Ballot Getty Images
A few days prior to the November 2024 election, Sequoyah School Assistant Head and High School Director Marc Alongi announced a mock election designed for students to get familiar with the democratic process. This mock election aimed to help educate Sequoyah high school students on ballots and the importance of voting. Students had until November 1st to fill out their mock election ballots, which were set up through an online Google form. During Morning Meeting on November 5th, the United States’s actual election day, Alongi displayed the votes cast in favor of each proposition and candidate in Sequoyah’s mock election. The mock election was intended to be the high school’s reflection of a real-life ballot—and it seemed to get conflicting reactions.
Understanding the democratic process isn’t simple, especially when one isn’t familiar with the ballot. Having participated in the mock election, Vaughn Wilson ’26, stated that he “thought it was an interesting concept.” He continued, “I learned new things. I wasn’t aware of all of the props.”
According to Andrew Fyke ’26, the mock election encouraged students to inform themselves on politics. “I think that especially as teenagers, we’re getting closer to being able to vote,” he said. “A lot of us don’t necessarily have much awareness about what’s going on politically, about specific policies or why certain races matter and the impact of those [races], and so a mock election where you’re researching some of the issues and coming to your own decisions about them can really help in that process [as] a low stakes situation where it’s not an actual vote.” What seems to matter is the level of understanding teenagers develop of the democratic process, and a willingness to inform themselves about it.
With 38.3% of Sequoyah students voting for Donald Trump in the mock election, a number of Sequoyah high school students believe that the final results should not be viewed as entirely sincere. Nico Felch ’26 posited that the mock election “was used as a joke.” However, Felch didn’t deny that it would be beneficial if it were put to correct use, stating that the mock election caused a deeper interest in following the official 2024 election. He “felt a lot more engaged in the election after [he] felt like [he] was participating, even if it wasn’t in the real thing.” Felch believes the mock election itself was important “regardless of if it was used as a joke because it explained a lot of the acts and bills that were going to be passed or would not be passed.” Also, he noted that “the brief descriptions [of propositions] were very, very helpful.”
In the fall semester, Fyke was enrolled in U.S Government and Politics, a class led by Humanities teacher Ian Gutgold, which gives him a fair understanding of the political process and the importance of voting. With regard to the turnout rate, which was 42% of the student body, Fyke speculated that the people who didn’t participate weren’t really inclined to as it required them “to spend time looking into things, [and] it doesn’t really matter.” In Fyke’s perspective, “While the voter turnout was low, I think in an actual election I know a few people who would have voted, but didn’t because spending time on it didn’t really feel worthwhile.” With respect to the real 2024 election, Fyke had been clearly engaged in understanding the propositions on the ballot and explained that for him, “Proposition 33—which was targeted towards allowing stricter forms of rent control—was also important to [him] because that kind of proposition sounds good on surface, but personally, it seems like it’s going to reduce the availability to build affordable housing. And in California, where home prices are not affordable, that’s definitely not great.” For the 2024 mock election, Proposition 33 did not pass, with 48.5% voting yes and 51.5% voting no.
The importance of educating the youth on the democratic process before they are registered to vote is seen as crucial to a Sequoyah education. Alongi expressed that he hoped that the mock election left students with “a better sense [of] what it’s about, and how it works.” He expects the mock election to return in the future, noting that doing it “every two years…would be a good practice.” Its value is clear to Alongi. “The more we’re engaged in the conversations about the issues, candidates, and how the democratic process works,” he said, the more schools can “help students learn how to engage in the democratic process.”