West Point, Miss. (Daily Times Leader) –
Promote the Vote is Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann’s comprehensive K-12 voter education program. He spent time Monday afternoon with two of Sabrina Campbell’s art classes to talk about the program.
He asked the classes what offices would Mississippi’s election in November be to fill.
“We will be voting on senators,” Hosemann said. “Each state elects two senators to represent the people of the state in Washington. There are 100 senators. We’re going to hold a mock election and each of you is going to cast a ballot for who you would like to be senator.”
He said the students can vote starting Oct. 1, and the election would take place Oct. 26, before the real election Nov. 6. He asked them to pay attention to the ads and do some online research into what the candidates stand for.
“There will be an art and essay contest Dec. 7,” Hosemann said. “The art contest will be asking you to create a mural, with the theme ‘Colors of My Community.'”
He showed the students the West Point Mural created by Deborah Mansfield and murals from other towns, including Jackson, Gulf Port and Leland.
“Colors of My Community” entrants are asked to pretend they are an artist who has been commissioned to draw a mural on a building in their community depicting their community.
“We want you to draw a depiction of something you think your community should be like,” Hosemann said.
The essay will be on the theme “We Have Business to do!” entrants are asked to research an industry in their community
“Use the Y’all Business website to see what you have in Clay County,” Hosemann said. “Then write an essay on what you think your town and county need. What sort of employment would you like to see in your community. The winners will be judged by Dec. 7. The winners will come to Jackson to the Capital. At lunch we’ll take you across the street to the Civil Rights Museum and Mississippi Museum of History.”
Top winners of the art and essay contests from specific grade-brackets and winning schools will receive awards from local banks.
Entries for both contests are due Dec. 7. Winners will be invited to the Capitol in February 2019, for an awards ceremony.
Promote the Vote is a free program offered to all schools and teachers in the Mississippi by the state. All materials will be available for download online.