Thousands of K-12 students throughout Georgia cast votes in the YLI Mock Election on some of the most pressing issues facing young people today. Although it is not an election year in Georgia, the Youth Leadership Initiative, in partnership with the Georgia Secretary of State, provided electronic cyber-ballots as part of the largest secure student-only online mock election in the nation.

Students showed strong support for required physical education classes at every grade level, the installation of seat belts on school busses, and temporary suspension of the state’s tax on gasoline, while opposing school uniforms, year-round school, and the use of security-surveillance cameras.

"It is difficult to reinforce civic engagement during off-years, but our partnership with the Secretary of State gave students a unique opportunity to express their views,” said Lea Brown, YLI Director of Instruction. "Given the interest and participation in this year's YLI Mock Election, the level of civic engagement in Georgia young people appears very high."

A summary of statewide vote totals follows:

Ballot Questions Grades K-5	%Yes	%No
Do you think school should be held year-round?	38.29%	61.71%
Should schools require students to wear uniforms?	24.64%	75.36%
Do you think seat belts should be installed on all school buses?	59.68%	40.32%
Do you think physical education classes should be required at every grade level?	77.55%	22.45%

Ballot Questions Grades 6-12	%Yes	%No
Have you or someone you know been a victim of cyber-bullying?	22.73%	77.27%
Do you think security-surveillance cameras should be required in all schools?	49.97%	50.03%
Should students who have jobs be required to maintain a certain grade point average?	44.85%	55.15%
Do you think school should be held year-round?	23.6%	76.4%
Do you think all states should suspend the gasoline tax to keep gas costs down for consumers?	81.87%	18.13%

The YLI Mock Election is an academic exercise. It is not a true random sample of public opinion among America's K-12 student population and is therefore not designed to be predictive of the general election.