Video: Heritage Academy Mock Election

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – In conjunction with the Mississippi Secretary of State’s Office, students at Heritage Academy in Columbus are engaged in school-wide voting.

Students at the private academy in the Friendly City are engaged in electing a president, but first they must listen carefully as both democratic and republican views are presented.

“And it is to let the students understand the process of the election. What all goes into it. How you have to register to vote. What that means. And then the actual voting process,” said Deb Shelton, EMCC Instructor.

“This election means so much to me because. I believe  that this election is really going to effect my future and how my generation is going to be,” said Mary Dade Ford, Student.

Lowndes County Supervisor Leroy Brooks who is backing President Obama, and EMCC Instructor Judy Dunaway a Mitt Romney supporter, both having attended their National Democratic and Republican Conventions as delegates four times, defended their respective party platforms.

Brooks talked of Obama’s efforts in weakening Al Quaeda and giving access to affordable health care.

“Well the time allotted I kind of summarized it, but I think that you know, the basic issues associated with the democratic party and President Obama, I tried to put them forth. And hopefully in a manner that they would understand,” said Brooks.

Dunaway mentioned the president’s stimulus package thats moving the country backwards and not forward.

Calling Obama a bad president not a bad person, Dunaway is hoping Romney will balance the budget and create jobs by energizing small businesses.

“I hopefully was able to relate some things to them about the economy in a way that they would understand. Talk about, comparing redistribution of grades in the classroom to redistribution of wealth,” said Dunaway.

While Heritage Academy senior Mary Dade Ford stopped short of saying who she will vote for, she did credit her school’s mock elections with helping students in make an informed political choice.

“I think a lot of people really learned something today, and are more informed about different, the different political parties and the candidates,” added Ford.

Heritage Academy students faculty and staff are registering this week.

School-wide voting is October 30th.