Twins hold mock vote for president

Published 8:32 am Friday, September 2, 2016

Photo submitted/Sophie (left) and Lilly Cupit, the 7-year-old twin daughters of Marlene and Malcolm Cupit, of Brookhaven, are learning about the presidential election process by having a mock election of their own. The girls, who are homeschooled by Erin Alford, have a voting table set up near Georgia Blue on  South Railroad Avenue.

Photo submitted/Sophie (left) and Lilly Cupit, the 7-year-old twin daughters of Marlene and Malcolm Cupit, of Brookhaven, are learning about the presidential election process by having a mock election of their own. The girls, who are homeschooled by Erin Alford, have a voting table set up near Georgia Blue on South Railroad Avenue.

Twins Sophie and Lilly Cupit aren’t old enough to vote — they’re about 11 years too young — but that’s not stopping them from holding their own unofficial election to decide the next president of the United States.

They created the ballots themselves, hand writing the nominees’ names beside a square box for the voter’s check mark. There are just two choices — Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.

The 7-year-old daughters of Marlene and Malcolm Cupit have a table set up outside of their homeschool classroom, which is just down from Georgia Blue along South Railroad Avenue. Ballots and pens are in a plastic box next to the patriotic-themed ballot box. Their table will be out Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., said their teacher, Erin Alford. They’ll count the ballots Thursday.

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Posters, which include a hand-colored American flag on each, tell why the girls are asking for public participation.

“You should give your opinion on who should be elected,” the girls wrote. “If you like something about your government, you can vote to keep it. It’s your responsibility to vote.”

Another poster gives more advice from the second-grade sages. “Your voice needs to be heard,” it reads. “If you don’t like something about your government, you can vote to change it. You pay taxes every year, so it is your right to vote.”

Alford has been teaching the girls about politics. “All of their learning is student-centered,” she said. “Everything is individualized instruction.”

The voting lesson incorporates math, writing, spelling, art and social studies.

After they name a winner, they’ll go through the election process. “We kicked it off with the exciting part and now we’ll go back and do the election process,” Alford said.

So what have the girls learned during this project? Sophie, who is the oldest by one minute, spoke for both of them. “So much we can’t say it all,” she said.