NEWS RELEASE: Collier County Elections Office Conducts Student Elections for AMIKids Big Cypress

AMIkids students learn first-hand how the voting process works

Collier County, FL—February 1, 2013: Students participating in the AMIkids Big Cypress program recently elected their student government officers the same way Collier County voters elect their government officials. On Tuesday, January 29th the Collier County Supervisor of Elections office conducted an election for AMIkids with real ballots and voting tabulation machines.

Cyndi Young, Education Coordinator for the elections office first visited the students in early January to explain the voting process. On Tuesday, during their election, 29 student voters lined up to check-in and were given a ballot created by the elections office with the names of each student running for office.

After marking their choices for three offices, the voters cast their ballots by inserting them into the same DS200 machine used in Florida elections. Ms. Young tabulated the results onsite and announced the winners. The races were close, with one office determined by just one vote.

According to Ronald Boyce, Executive Director of AMIkids Big Cypress, this experience fits into a civics curriculum that Florida students must successfully complete before high school.

“The election is a great way to kick off the kids’ civics lesson and get them interested and excited about it,” said Mr. Boyce. “The boys loved the hands-on instruction and thought Cyndi was a great instructor who answered all their questions.”

The Supervisor of Elections office conducts student elections throughout Collier County as part of its voter education program. In 2012, 67 schools and 7,325 students participated. For more information, visit www.colliervotes.com or call (239) 252-8450.

AMIkids Big Cypress is one of more than 50 programs across the country affiliated with nationally-recognized AMIkids, headquartered in Tampa, Florida. It is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing our community’s kids an opportunity to transform into responsible young adults through positive and motivating programs that inspire learning, leadership and personal growth. Visit www.amikidsbigcypress.org for details.

Photos and web images can be downloaded via Picasa.