Students have their say in Abbeygate Sixth Form College’s mock election
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Students in West Suffolk have had their say in who they think should run the country.
With many of their students not yet old enough to vote, Abbeygate Sixth Form College decided to run a mock election to give the students a taste of the process and help to prepare them for the real voting experience when the time comes.
Taking place on Tuesday, July 2nd, Abbeygate’s Year 12 students arranged and carried out the mock general election, with over 400 students taking the opportunity to vote based on the campaigns run by their Government and Politics students.
The mock election came as part of a series of political activities within Abbeygate over recent weeks, including a lively hustings held at the college on the 20th of June.
The hustings saw eight parliamentary candidates appear in front of Abbeygate’s packed theatre, with the audience made up of students from Abbeygate Sixth Form College, West Suffolk College, and King Edward VI School.
The candidates, who all ran for a seat in the Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket constituency, were faced with a series of questions prepared by the students themselves, with topics ranging from the climate crisis, to the NHS, to potholes, as well as the highly contentious national service proposal.
Having seen the real candidates in action, the Abbeygate students assigned six of their classmates to each represent one of the major political parties, for which they had to sell their manifestos and stand as candidates in the mock election.
After a careful counting process, we can confirm that, by a very fine margin, the winning party at Abbeygate Sixth Form College was GREEN!
The candidates were said to be brilliant at selling their manifestos to the voters in a professional and very well considered manner – and it clearly paid off for the Green party!
Catherine Austin, Head of Humanities and Social Sciences at Abbeygate, said:
“I have to congratulate all of the students who participated in this successful event, giving up their time and energy and carrying themselves with such confidence and enthusiasm.
“It was amazing to see so many young people engaging with the mock election, ahead of the day they can vote themselves. They were buzzing, talking about the policies of parties and how this will change the country and impact their lives. I am so proud of them.”
A very well done to all of those who took part!
