Earlier this month, Secretary of State Corey Stapleton and Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen announced that the 2020 Montana Youth Election will take place on October 29. All students, kindergarten through grade 12, homeschool associations, private, and public schools are invited to participate.

From 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, students can vote by visiting the website: https://youthvote.sosmt.gov/. The Youth Vote website also has resources helpful to parents, teachers, and students. Some of these include details about the first election, the Electoral College, how power is divided in the United States government, and why Americans vote on Tuesdays.

The purpose of the Youth Vote program is to provide students an opportunity to join in the United States election process, one of the most important of our American civic duties. "You can't complain if you don't vote," the website proclaims.

The 2020 Youth Election allows students in grades K-6 to vote for the President of the United States and to answer additional questions of interest to younger children. Students in grades 7-12 will receive the full ballot with federal and statewide candidates, as well as the constitutional amendments. Using the Montana Voter Information Pamphlet and the Meet the Candidates informational circular as guides, teachers are advised to review the sample ballot with students so they will understand the constitutional amendments, ballot initiatives, and the candidates who are running for office.

The results of the election will be tallied immediately following the closing of Montana Youth Vote and will be posted on the Youth Vote website. This year, the Montana Youth Vote Ambassador Program offers a way for interested students to volunteer in promoting the Youth Election in their communities and to become more involved in the election process.

"The Montana Youth Election is an important component of civics education. I encourage all Montana students to participate in the Youth Election, to make their voices heard, and to engage in our Nation's electoral process. Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities of American citizens. We must instill the value of participating in the electoral process in the next generation," Superintendent Arntzen stated.