JACKSON, Miss. — More than 40 public school students from across Mississippi received special recognition at the State Capital Monday during the Secretary of State’s 2013 Promote the Vote Awards program.
“These students are winners,” said Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. “Over 15,000 people participated in this and 44 (were) given awards. You will see some excellent political cartoons and some excellent essays.” The creative competition was used to inspire children to get involved in the voting process. “We feel like if they’ll cast a ballot in their local school, and participate in the electoral process, then eventually, they will vote when they are 18 and older,” Hosemann explained.
The secretary of State’s office has sponsored mock elections at Mississippi schools as part of Promote the Vote since 1996, with more than a million students participating.