Eastlake's Washington Elementary students vote on Election Day

The students at Washington Elementary in Eastlake had their own Election Day on Nov. 5.

Fifth-graders had been campaigning for a few weeks. They prepared and read their speeches on the morning announcements and gave impromptu speeches during an election assembly.

Students were excited and eager to vote. Many of them said as they left, "I completed my civic duty." Each student received a sticker that read, "I voted today! Kids vote too!"

The election was part of ongoing classroom lessons on rights and responsibilities of being an American citizen, the voting process, the electoral process, U.S. government, and presidential history.


Washington Principal Tamee Haines Tucker and her husband donated actual voting booths in which students cast their private ballots. The staff discussed with students that their individual vote is private and to be respected and that they should vote for who they believe in.