NATIONAL STUDENT MOCK ELECTION

The National Student Mock Election (formerly the National Student/Parent Mock Election) was started in 1980 by Edward Stanley and Gloria Kirshner. The two made a prolific pair in the 1960s: creating Exploring on NBC, a nationwide broadcast of the elementary school curriculum in language arts, social studies, math, and science. Exploring was a hit: over 600,000 teachers requested the series Teachers Guide. Stanley, Director of Public Affairs for NBC, and Kirshner, an educational consultant, knew they had something substantial. But the two quickly noticed that social studies teachers, especially those attempting to teach civics and government, were underserved. In fact, coaches and math teachers were taking on civics courses at the middle and high school levels. Stanley and Kirshner both realized these underserved children — and their children’s children — would soon determine the destiny of the world’s longest-lasting democracy. The absence of basic civic lessons (like the importance of voting) could very well threaten democracy itself. "Enlighten the people generally", Thomas Jefferson wrote, "and tyranny and oppressions of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day." Stanley and Kirshner were inspired by this quote and spent 10 years seeking a solution. Eventually, the two connected with legendary education leaders Dr. Benjamin Bloom, Dr. Lawrence Kohlberg, and Dr. Arthur W. Foshay. The experts helped Stanley and Kirshner develop a project titled the NBC Parent Participation TV Workshop Project. The first-ever National Student/Parent Mock Election (NSPME) was in 1980 and had teachers, students and parents casting votes in approximately 30 states. By 1984, 2 million participated; and by 1988, 5 million. In 2016, the National Student Mock Election moved online, mobile, and social, and over a million teachers and students participated. In 2022, we expect up to 5 million teachers and students to participate.