Google Forms for Class Elections

Last week our school held their annual SCA Elections and for the first time ever, our students completed an electronic ballot! By creating a simple survey in Google Forms, all students in grades 3, 4, and 5 participated in the democratic process of electing school leaders in a mock election that simulated a real polling center,

The MES Polling Center was open for a three hour window. Each class signed off as they entered the polls, with one class voting at a time. After a brief explanation of how to complete the electronic ballot, students then leaned over into their cubicle to select their choices. (We didn't allow them to sit in chairs because we don't get to sit when we vote!)

We saw our greatest traffic close to lunch time, much like a real polling center. Occasionally, classes would have to wait outside the door for an opportunity to enter, but we found it was a teachable moment of how to practice patience. For many students, this was the first time they had experienced going to the polls!

All the students were very respectful throughout the voting process and many left with smiles and thank you's for a "fun" time voting. Best of all, the results were instantly available with colorful graphs to show!

A special thanks to my ITRT teammate, Fay, who not only showed me how to get this up and running in my school, but invited me to participate in her school's election, too!