If we didn’t participate in the Presidential Preference Election, can we still do the General Election?
Of Course! We hope that at least twice as many kids will vote in the General Election as the in the Presidential Preference Election. As long as you get your registration in by the deadline in September, we will make sure you get what you need to conduct an election.
If our school participated in the Presidential Preference Election, do we have to re-register for the General Election?
No! As we get closer to the election at the beginning of the school year, we will ask you to update your ballot preferences and the number of students you will have voting online, but we already have your information, so there is no need to send in another form.
If we missed the deadline, can we still participate?
Yes! If you miss the deadline, it may be too late for us to print the ballots for your school, but no matter what your students can vote online. They should just follow the special instructions to obtain a voter ID number before voting. No need to have a card!
I didn’t get a confirmation.
Was my fax received?
All of the confirmations were sent via e-mail, so if you didn’t give us an e-mail address you might not have confirmation. Check out our list “look who’s voting” to see if your school is on it. If not, give us a call and we will take care of you.
How long can our polls be set up for? Can we only vote on the 4th?
You can set up your polling place any time between when you get the materials and 7 pm on November 4th. Some schools will have their polling places open all day on the elections for classes to come in, or some schools are setting up a booth for students to vote all week during their lunches. Teachers can even have students vote at their convenience in their classrooms, and then compile the school wide ballots on election day. It’s up to your school!
Do all the students in my school have to participate?
We definitely encourage you to get participation from your whole school, but we are happy to accommodate as many students/grade levels as you are willing to have vote.
How will we get the votes counted if we have a polling place set up?
If you are voting with paper ballots, you will need to have volunteers on hand to tally the votes after your poll closes. Then just send us a fax with the results! Some schools are getting help from PTO/PTA members, student organizations such as student council or leadership classes, and in some schools a teacher or teachers have volunteered to count the ballots. If you are voting online, you are ahead of the game! Once the kids have finished voting, you are all done since the online system counts the votes automatically.
Can I get information from you about the candidates and ballot issues?
No. Kids Voting provides information and curriculum about the voting process, but as a non partisan organization we don’t provide any specific candidate information. The KV Curriculum has lessons to help students find information about the candidates and issues from various sources.
What materials will my school receive to help conduct the election?
If your school has decided to vote online: You will be receiving your curriculum (If you did not already receive it from the Presidential Preference Election), voter registration cards and “I Voted” stickers in October 2008. The online polls will be open in October until 7 pm on November 4th in order for you to have maximum time to get your votes in. We encourage you to vote early!
If your school has decided to vote by paper ballot: You will be receiving your ballots, curriculum (If you did not already receive it from the Presidential Preference Election), voter registration cards, and “I Voted” Stickers. You can vote from the time you receive the materials until the end of the school day on November 4th. Make sure that you have volunteers ready at your school to count the votes you’ve collected. You will receive a fax form to send us the tallied votes on the night of the election so that they can be added to the state-wide count. More instructions will be included in your voting packet.
What grade levels can participate?
Kindergarteners through 12th graders are all eligible to vote and have curriculum tailored to their grade level.
Do we really need the Kids Voting Arizona voter registration cards?
Yes! Each student will receive a unique voter number which they will need to log on to vote online, or to make sure that their paper ballot is counted only once.