MOBILE, Ala., (January 29, 2024) – More than 100 Bishop State Community College students were the first to participate in a mock election held by Mobile County's Chief Election Officer, Judge of Probate Don Davis, and his team on Jan. 25.
Bishop State students experienced checking in to a polling site and casting a one-issue ballot on real voting machines to help them learn about the voting process in advance of Alabama’s March 5 Presidential Preference and Primary Election. Eligible students also had the opportunity to register to vote in Mobile County.
“As an educational institution, we know there are many invaluable lessons that go beyond the textbooks and classrooms,” says Olivier Charles, President at Bishop State Community College.
“We wanted our students to participate in this mock election because it empowers them with the knowledge and practice of voting and instills in them a sense of civic duty and responsibility. We want to do whatever we can to help foster the next generation of informed and engaged citizens who will shape the future of our society."
According to Judge Davis, the purpose of these mock elections is to educate new voters about how the process occurs in Mobile County and to register eligible voters. “We believe we do things right in Mobile County and want voters to have faith and confidence in election results,” he said.
Davis and his team presented information about how elections are conducted in Mobile County, including the four primary components of election integrity: election machine security, ballot security, voter integrity, and election official (poll worker) integrity.
Judge Davis also shared that his office is actively recruiting 100 poll tech workers to assist with iPads at various polling sites on election day. These are paid positions that require 20 hours (training, then election day staffing). Anyone interested in being a poll tech worker should email PollTech@Probate.MobileCountyAL.gov or call 251-574-6064.
For more information about Mobile County’s elections and to register to vote, go to https://probate.mobilecountyal.gov/elections.
For more information about this series of mock elections, go to Mock Election Materials (mobilecountyal.gov).