11/01/2006

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
From left to right, Leland High School juniors Meghan Hottinger, 17, Morgan Kilway, 16, and Maeve Burns, 16, put finishing touches on a campaign sign for state senator Michelle McManus.

Voting comes early to school

BY CHRISTINE FINGER

cfinger@record-eagle.com

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Leland High School juniors Dan Newod, 16, background, and Ajax Price, 17, put finishing touches on anchors for a balloon arc Tuesday morning at Leland High.

LELAND — Ed Wodek's classroom at Leland Public School looked more like a campaign headquarters as young politicians bustled about in a flurry of red, white and blue.

Preparations for Thursday's mock election and political rally culminated two months of work by high school students in Wodek's government classes. About 1,000 students from 10 schools in Leelanau County and Traverse City will pack Leland's school gymnasium to hear from state and national candidates and cast their votes.

Wodek created the project 20 years ago as a way to engage students in learning about civics and democracy. Today, students line up to get into his class during election years so they can participate.

"It's kind of become a tradition in the community," he said.

Each student researches a candidate or serves on committees charged with coordinating public relations, construction, technology, painting, programs and ballots. Those assigned to candidates will deliver speeches at the rally to try to capture fellow students' votes.

Candidates slated to appear at the rally include 101st District state Rep. David Palsrok, R-Manistee, and Democratic challenger Dan Scripps; 35th District state Sen. Michelle McManus, R-Lake Leelanau, and Democratic opponent Antoinette Schippers; and 4th District U.S. Congressman Dave Camp, R-Midland, and Democratic challenger Mike Huckleberry.

After the rally, the candidates set up shop in rooms around the school so students can quiz them one-on-one about the issues before they vote.

Scripps, an attorney from Northport, said he's eager to participate in the project and help introduce students to the democratic process "right when they're becoming politically aware."

Anna Lau, 17, spent Tuesday morning perfecting a campaign commercial for Schippers before rehearsing her speech in front of Wodek and her classmates, who critiqued her delivery.

"Does somebody have a pencil?" Lau asked as she changed a few words on the draft of the speech.

Negative campaigning is prohibited, and students and candidates must stick to the facts and focus on what they will do to serve constituents.

Erin Sneed, 16, will speak about the five statewide ballot proposals.

"I think a lot of people just vote no on the proposals because they don't know what they are," she said. "But these could affect everybody."

Students will spend today decking out the school with patriotic paraphernalia. A portable stage fit with backdrops and a podium will be installed in the gymnasium, large campaign signs will line the walls, and a student-created slide show will kick off the rally.

This year, Leland students also will tabulate statewide results for the National Student/Parent Mock Election, a program that coordinates affiliated mock elections.

The rally will also be broadcast live over the Internet by MichiganLiveEvents.com. More information about the Webcast is available at www.absolutemichigan.com/politics.