PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Students at Philadelphia's Thomas Holme Elementary School used real city voting machines to cast their ballots in Friday's student government election.
After watching candidates' campaign videos, 400 students in grades 5 through 8 made their picks for student body president, vice president and other offices, the same way adults do. One by one, students pulled back the curtains and made their selections on the touchscreens inside two voting machines provided by the Philadelphia City Commissioners, who oversee the city's elections. Holme Principal Micah Winterstein says his students were excited for the experience.
"I think it's really been impactful so far to see students respond to it because it may be their first time ever experiencing voting. It may get them engaged and excited about voting. And that's the hope,” Winterstein said.
"Not only do we want to educate them about those experiences, we want them to live the experiences of what it's like to vote. Hopefully, by voting in real, live voting booths, they can learn and get excited about what their future is."
Sixth-grader Riyanna Ghanen can’t vote yet, but said, “Maybe once I get older, it'll be easier for me.”
Holme students have been attending classes at the former Meehan Middle School in Mayfair until their newly-built school on Academy Road is ready to open in January.