Kidsvoting Florida: Student Mock Election Guide

KidsVoting Florida: Student Mock Election Guide

Table of Contents

Kids Voting: A Simple Start…………………………………………..………...... page 3

Gaining Access………………………………………………….…………………………...page 3

Ballot Administrator……….…………………………………………..…………….page 3

Report User………………………………………………………………………..…page 3

Logging In………………………………………………………..…….……………………page 4

Logging Out………………………………………………………..…….….………………page 4

Viewing, Printing, and Importing Results………………………….………………..………page 5

Generating Reports…………………………………………….…………………….………page 6

Setting the Stage: A Step-by-Step Approach to Recreating the Voting Process………….....page 8

Step 1: Determining Location……………………………..………………………….page 8

Step 2: Registering Student Voters………………………..…………….……………page 8

Step 3: Gathering the Necessary Materials…………………………...………………page 8

Step 4: Setting Up the Polling Room…………………………………………………page 9

Step 5: Counting the Votes………………………….…….…………………………..page 9

Important 2016 Election Dates……………………………………………………………..page 10

Attachments:

1: Florida Voter registration Form…….……………………………………………page 11

2: “Registered Voter” Roll Form……………………...……………………………page 12

3: Polling Room Layout…………………….………………...…………………….page 13

Working with Your Supervisor of Elections……………………………………….………page 14

Kids Voting: A Simple Start

Choice is an important component to any experiential exercise, and conducting a mock election is no different. By utilizing Kids Voting Florida, schools are able to conduct a mock election as simplistically or as elaborately as they want. Kids Voting Florida has processes in place to meet the individualized needs of the schools. Regardless of the method of implementation chosen, schools will have their choice of paper ballots, electronic voting software, and/or a combination of both. What follows is a step-by-step guide of how to implement Kids Voting Florida this election season.

Gaining Access:

Kids Voting Florida will identify school districts interested in participating with the mock election. From here, Kids Voting Florida will identify a person/s responsible with viewing and/or printing the ballot, importing the results, and/or viewing reports from the Double Click Democracy (DCD) software. This person will perform two roles:

Ballot Administrator:

This role allows the user to create a ballot for the schools assigned, as well as, creating a second level master template from a master template the ballot administrator created. Simply put, master ballots can be customized to fit the voting needs of the assigned schools.

Editing Ballot Video Tutorial:

Additionally, if desired, ballot administrators can create voter ids for the ballots created, import results from paper ballots, and view reports.

Report User:

This role allows the User to view the ballot results and download the results. Most Affiliates will want to use “Report User” for trained Educators or Sub-Affiliates wanting to see the results of the ballots assigned.

As soon as the ballot administrator/report user is identified, the necessary log-in credentials with be supplied to by Kids Voting Florida. Once in hand, the ballot administrator/report user will be able to access the Kids Voting Florida and Double Click Democracy (DCD) programs.

Adding Users Video Tutorial:

Editing/Deleting Users Video Tutorial:

Logging In:

Go to
Use the DCD Login email address and password provided by Kids Voting Florida

Logging In Video Tutorial:

Logging Out:

Afteryou login,you willseethisscreen below.
In the far right corner you will see your name, My Profile, and Sign Out
Click on Sign Out to log out of the system

Logging Out Video Tutorial:

Viewing, Printing, and Importing Results:

If a school chooses to have hard copy printed ballots for the casting of votes, they

Will need from Kids Voting Florida the user code, password, and login link:
Here is an example of the screen after logging in –

The two tabs: Manage Ballots and Import Ballots are the two tabs needed for access.
The Ballot for printing is on the Manage Ballot tab. Click view to see the Ballot.
At the bottom of the Ballot is a link to “Export to PDF” this will enable downloading and/or printing the ballot.
There is also a link, “Close Preview,” which returns back to the Manage Ballot tab page.
The Import Ballot page screen –
If there is more than one ballot, select the one to be used.
The instructions are listed on the screen, please remember:
To download the import template first and not to make any changes except to add in the vote totals in the appropriate cells.
To make certain the total number of voters known on the excel template matches the number typed in the total voters box on the Import Results Screen.
If voting reports are not separated by grades (this requires uploads for each grade level) it will not be possible to breakdown the grade levels on the DCD reports later.

There are two boxes at the top of the first screen after the login: Ballots and Reports. The Ballots Box will return user to the Manage Ballot page. The Reports Box will allow user to view the Voting Report (after importing the results and refreshing the page), to export the report to an Excel file or to a PDF.

Generating Reports:

Kids Voting Florida has given the ballot administrator/report user access to review, export and print the results of the ballot. The generated report will include results specific to each individual school. Please know that the official results will not be completed until the mock elections end date and time. The time frame will be designated by Kids Voting Florida.

When logging in this screen will appear–

If there is more than one active ballot, choose the correct ballot from the ballot drop down list.
The screen example above does not have multiple states, schools, or grades. If your ballot includes those variables, the ballot administrator/report user will need to select each of those variables prior to selecting the correct ballot.
Once the correct ballot is selected, use the boxes available to view, export to excel, or export to pdf.
If viewing multiple grades separately, select the grade from the dropdown list and click View Report to see each one.

Setting the Stage: A Step-by-Step Approach to Recreating the Voting Process

Step 1: Determining Location

a)In conjunction with the time frame determined by Kids Voting Florida, decide when and where your school will conduct its mock election. Depending on how elaborate your school plans to be, locations to consider for holding the mock election include the media center, gymnasium, cafeteria, individual classrooms, or computer lab. If you will be conducting your election electronically, consider using cardboard testing carrels as privacy screens to make the mock election more realistic.

Step 2: Registering Student Voters

a)If your school is planning to “register” student voters, Kids Voting Florida recommends mirroring the registration process used by Florida’s Department of State.A Florida Voter Registration Form (criteria for voting included on form)is downloadable from this link:

(included as an attachment)

b)From school or class rosters, prepare a list of “registered” voters. A “registered voters” roll template is included as an attachment

Step 3: Gathering the Necessary Materials:

Tables and chairs (for verifying identity of student voters. Also, this is a great opportunity to solicit parent support by having them act as “poll workers”)
Pens/Pencils
“Registered Voters” Roll (see attachment)
Ballots (remember paper ballots are an option if desired)
Vote Tally Sheets (if using paper ballots)
Ballot Box (if using paper ballots)
Voting Booths (due to the timing of the mock election, it may not be possible for your county’s Supervisor of Elections Office to provide voting booths)
If available, remind students to show a school issued ID to verify them as a “registered” voter
“I Voted” stickers (provided by the Kids Voting Florida or participating Supervisors of Elections Offices)

Step 4: Setting Up the Polling Room

a)Convenience and efficiency are key. Set up your polling space so that the mock election runs as smoothly as possible. (Depending on where the mock election is held, flexibility in setting up may not be possible, so do what works best with your given circumstances). Attached is a diagram from the Florida Department of State showing the required layout of an official polling place.

Step 5: Counting the Votes

a)Depending on the method of voting selected, determining a winner may be as simple as generating a report from Kids Vote Florida and Double Click Democracy (DCD) or a more involved hand counting of paper ballots. Either way, have fun in making this experiential learning activity memorable for your school and students.

Important 2016 Election Dates

Early Voting Primary Election / August 20-27, 2016
Primary Election / August 30, 2016
Voter Registration for the General Election Deadline / October 11, 2016
Early Voting General Election / October 29 – November 5, 2016
General Election / November 8, 2016

For more information regarding election dates, visit the Florida Department of State’s Election Website at:

Attachment 1: Voter Registration Form

Attachment 2: “Registered Voters” Roll Form

Attachment 3: Polling Room Layout

The following diagram was taken from the Florida Department of State’s Division of Elections Website. The diagram is an example of what a polling room could look like. Regardless of the room set-up, every effort needs to be made to ensure absolutely privacy when voting.

Polling Room Layout

Working with Your Supervisor of Elections

The following is a list of Supervisors of Elections committed to working withKids Voting Florida. Schools/districts are encouraged to workin conjunction with their Supervisor of Elections Officewhen facilitating the mock election. Please note, participation by the Supervisor of Elections Office is not a prerequisite for a school district to participate in the Kids Voting Florida Mock Election.

County / Supervisor of Elections Office Contact / Position
Alachua / Pam Carpenter / Supervisor of Elections
Bradford / Amanda Seyfang / Assistant Supervisor of Elections
Charlotte / Paul Stamoulis / Supervisor of Elections
Citrus / Susan Gill / Supervisor of Elections
Collier / Roger Munz / Director of Training
Duval / Robert Phillips / Supervisor of Elections
Escambia / Sonya Daniel / Assistant Supervisor of Elections
Hendry / Sherry Taylor / Assistant Supervisor of Elections
Levy / Jordan Lindsey / Assistant Supervisor of Elections
Martin / Debbie Dent / Assistant Supervisor of Elections
Osceola / Mary Jane Arrington / Supervisor of Elections
Putnam / Jennifer Adkisson / Assistant Supervisor of Elections
St. Lucie / John Spradlin / Supervisor of Elections
Santa Rosa / Tappi Villane / Supervisor of Elections
Sarasota / Ron Turner / Supervisor of Elections
Suwannee / Glenda Williams / Supervisor of Elections
Taylor / Dana Southerland / Supervisor of Elections
Volusia / Edda Rosado / Voter Education Coordinator