Fulton County Ohio Media

The following is a press release from Andrea Johnson, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Communication for Pike-Delta-York Schools Local School District.  It is a great idea and I hope it catches on.

PDY Partners with Fulton County Board of Elections to Bring Voting Machines to DHS

Delta High School (DHS) Student Council Advisor Mrs. Michelle Egan and Recent Levy Chairperson Mrs. Leigh Mattin are working with Fulton County Board of Elections (BOE) Director Ms. Melanie Gilders to bring DHS students an authentic voting experience. On September 8, all DHS students will participate in voting for Homecoming Attendants by using Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machines on loan from The Fulton County Board of Elections.

This unique and valuable experience was born from many conversations between Ms. Egan and Ms. Mattin over the summer about Ms. Mattin’s past experiences helping students and community members through the voter registration process. Ms. Mattin has worked closely with the BOE for several years and when Ms. Egan suggested there was a unique opportunity to possibly partner with the BOE, the plan grew from there.

Explains Ms. Mattin, there is sometimes “hesitation to vote because new voters don’t know what to expect when they get to their polling location” and this opportunity will help alleviate that hesitation. Ms. Egan notes that she “recognized that this opportunity will teach our students how to vote, from checking in to voting on the actual voting machines. [Students] will be voting on ‘candidates,’ the homecoming attendants, and even one ‘issue’ – which class will win the spirit stick this year.” PDY is very excited to take this opportunity to tie students’ civic responsibility into a very relatable event – DHS’s 2021 Homecoming – in a way that gets all high school students involved in an experience they would not otherwise have.

Ms. Mattin notes both she and Ms. Egan “are thrilled that our incoming freshmen will have many opportunities to participate and [their] hope is that this will transition the student into an active voter at age 18” by helping to demystify the voting process. Ms. Egan made a point of noting she and Ms. Mattin “are so thankful to the BOE for volunteering their time to do this for our students.” The district appreciates the partnership with the Board of Elections and is grateful for the shared goal of helping students recognize the importance of voting.