DeLaSalle Mock Election

On November 4, 2024, the DeLaSalle social studies department, in conjunction with the student council, held a “mock election” in anticipation of the 2024 Presidential Election in which students were exposed to the practice of voting and choosing a candidate.

The election was a part of THE Minnesota statewide K-12 mock election program. The initiative has held a statewide mock election every two years since 2012 to, as the MN Secretary of State Office writes, teach young people “the mechanics of voting (the how-to)” which in turn makes young people “more likely to vote the first time they are eligible.” While exposure to voting is critical, the Secretary of State Office cites the most important function of the mock elections is for students to independently determine “what do I believe?”

This year, the initiative gained record-breaking attention and participation, registering more than 200 new MN schools than the previous mock election in 2022, from 315 schools to 536 schools.

The day before the Haris v. Trump election, the DeLaSalle student council organized ‘polling stations’ based on grade, where students received an approved and signed ballot to then anonymously cast a vote for their chosen candidate.

DeLaSalle’s results were fairly uniform with the local urban Minneapolis voting metrics. According to NBC, in the 2024 presidential election, Hennepin County followed the urban democratic swing, with 69.8 percent of voters for Kamala Haris and 27.4 percent of voters for Donald Trump. DeLaSalle followed this trend, compounding with the additive liberal lens of the first-time voter demographic. 

Out of a total of 456 DeLaSalle student voters, roughly 84 percent voted for Kamala Haris and 10 percent voted for Donald Trump.

“It is good our community is voting” 

DeLaSalle Senior

As the third time Islanders got the chance to interact with the mock election (2016, 2020, and 2024), the 2024 Presidential election marked 8 years since the initiative had been started at DeLaSalle. Over these 8 years, the initiative has been headed by Mr. Marrin who, while best known for his History Day wizardry, is also heavily invested in the political engagement of the DeLaSalle community.

In an interview with The Islander, Marrin said the mock election is a “catalyst for learning,” stimulating curiosity and independent research. Marrin said that the mock election encourages students to have “discussions about not just the candidates but the positions they hold” which “keeps students informed.” Marking the questions, did students feel the same?

DeLaSalle students share Mr. Marrin’s passion for ensuring that each of their peers begins discussions about politics in their youth; this is apparent in the mock election exercise. With only 17 percent of students believing that the mock election was not beneficial, according to a random poll conducted by The Islander, the DeLaSalle community generally recognizes the initiative’s benefit. 

Marrin outlined that “though the Social Studies department provided direction, it was the student council that ran [the initiative],” also stating that the student leaders “did a really good job making sure each student got the experience of voting.” 

Marrin summed up the importance of discussions and informing DeLaSalle students: “At the end of the day the students in our building are going to be tomorrow’s leaders, in fact, many of them are today’s leaders.”

Political engagement on the island

“I think students want to make a difference.”

Mr. Marrin

Participation was notable with “over 70 percent” of the student body participating, according to head organizer, Marrin. However, students varied in their motivation.

Among those randomly selected for polling on the mock election, one student told The Islander “I voted because I wanted the results to be good.” Meanwhile, other Islanders cited the joy of civic engagement: “It was fun to participate in something happening in real-time.” 

In contrast, some seemed to be left out of the loop. One junior detailed, “I didn’t know we had one.” Others were absent, saying, “I wasn’t at lunch that day,” and some were simply busy, “I just didn’t get around to it.”

When asked if the DeLaSalle mock election was indicative of young people in politics, while Marrin said he is “hopeful about students,” he also shed light on the polarization of the current political climate. Marrin said, “My fear, and maybe that is too strong of a word, is that students can be too afraid to take a courageous stance as they might be fearful of being ‘canceled’...We have those courageous voices [at DeLaSalle]. We just want to make sure we’ve taught and encouraged students to exercise their voice.” 

While the mock election reflected DeLaSalle’s political stance, the election also served as a signal that right-leaning students do walk the halls: one student saying to The Islander “if I was going to vote, I would have voted for Trump,” later citing President-elect Trump’s policies congruence with Catholicism. 

For the majority left-leaning DeLaSalle students, their top two issues when picking a candidate were “women’s healthcare services” and “social injustices and inequalities.”

The DeLaSalle mock election was a valuable and informative initiative, inspiring hope for the future of young people in politics. Mr. Marrin said it best, Islanders, “don’t wait to have a diploma in your hand to make a difference…You don’t need a diploma to make a difference.”