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Jackson, Miss.—One hundred and five of the thousands of K-12 students who participated in 2017 Promote the Vote activities were recognized at the Mississippi Capitol today for high achievement in the arts and writing.
Promote the Vote is Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann’s comprehensive K-12 voter education program. This year, in celebration of the State’s 200-year history, the annual Promote the Vote art and writing contests centered on “Mississippi’s Bicentennial Birthday.”
More than 1,200 students entered the art contest, which asked entrants to depict “My Mississippi,” or an industry, person, landmark, or other notable symbol from their region of the State. For the essay contest, entrants were asked to write about “Moving Forward,” by identifying an issue in their region of the State and proposing a way to address it. More than 200 students submitted essays for consideration.
For purposes of the contests, the State was divided into nine regions: the Coast, Lower River, Piney Woods, Capital Area, East Central, Delta, Clay Hills, Northeast Corner, and North. Seventy-three students won art awards, and 32 students won essay awards.
“One of the most important things we can teach our children is about our past because learning about the past makes us more informed voters at the ballot box in the future,” Secretary Hosemann said.
First-place winners will receive a $100 savings account provided by sponsor banks across the State. The schools first-place winning students attend will also receive $100. Additionally, winning students will receive free entry to the Mississippi Museum of History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum today, compliments of First Commercial Bank.
Free to participating schools, Promote the Vote began in 1996. In 2017, more than 350 schools and about 83,000 students participated in Promote the Vote activities. The 2018 Promote the Vote program will kick off in August with a mock election featuring Mississippi’s congressional candidates.
More information about Promote the Vote is available on the Secretary of State’s web site. A full list of winners is attached to this release.
