BY NOAH CASTAGNA
As an egotistical businessman and a crooked politician steal the nation’s stage in what is perhaps one of the most controversial elections of all time, Channel One News has begun preparations for their widely successful OneVote mock election to encourage students to take part in the historical 2016 election.
The OneVote program is described as a program to help students “learn, understand, and participate in the presidential electoral process” as well as “voice their opinions and thoughts throughout the campaign,” culminating in a nationwide mock election taking place from October 17 to October 21. After voting concludes, the results will be released as part of a special edition of Channel One News on October 25.
“I think the Mock Election…is a great opportunity for students to learn the ropes of the system,” CCHS junior Kitana Rojas said. “It gets people talking.”
Participation in the electoral process hasn’t seen much favorability from younger demographics, as evidenced by abysmal turnout rates in past primary and presidential elections. The OneVote program intends to help remedy this apathy, at least partially, by getting these younger demographics invested in the system; in order to appeal to a variety of demographics, the OneVote team is composed of two middle-school students, four high-school students, and two college freshmen and includes students who side with Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, or are undecided.
“It’s great that students are politically involved through the OneVote program,” CCHS junior Dashiel Heidt said. “Instilling this mindset into them now means it will stick with them for the rest of their life.”
Transcripts of the daily Channel One News show can be found on the Channel One News’ website, along with a collection of useful election resources for students and teachers alike, such as a variety of infographics, platform and candidate breakdowns, election-related teaching curriculum, and over 3,000 newscasts. Amidst these resources is a poll which found that student voters feel Terrorism (33.96%), the Economy (18.67%), and Gun Control (16.22%) are the most important issues going into the mock election. Stances on these and other issues are defended and opposed by members of the OneVote team in weekly segments. Members of Team OneVote even take on issues they personally stress, writing articles or shooting videos to defend their position.
“The issue of congressional term limits is still severely neglected and considered a non-issue by many politicians,” OneVote team member and college freshman Malcolm Rakshan wrote in a blog from September. “The issue is a matter of principle against the cronyism in Washington. It is in the best interest of the American public for either Secretary Clinton or Mr. Trump to adopt the pro-term limit policy.”
Channel One News Premium is a winner of the 2016 Parent’s Choice Award and the OneVote mock election has correctly predicted the winner of the presidency for the last five elections. For more information on the OneVote program and how students and teachers can get involved, visit www.channelone.com.
