Ella Berman on Mock Election

For eight years, I’ve watched the seniors in Mr. Gilligan’s AP Gov classes immerse themselves in the famous mock election project, and for eight years I’ve looked forward to doing the same. But never did I picture myself as one of the candidates. Nevertheless, I found myself standing up in front of the whole high school as Nikki Haley, debating Ron DeSantis. 

Being the candidate was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, mainly because it was so far out of my comfort zone. Not only was I up on stage in front of the whole school, but I was speaking about topics about which I knew very little only two weeks prior. Without fail, after each event a couple students would come up to me and ask if I wanted to be a politician. “Absolutely not!” I replied every time—I’m going to study math in college. Yet, by the end of the two weeks, I rattle off dozens of Haley’s policies and explain them. There were a few other challenging parts of being Nikki Haley. I had to dress up each day. The worst part was the heels, which left my feet bruised by the end of mock election. Being the face of the campaign meant photoshoots, filming Tik Toks, and constant interaction with people. This was fun, but also exhausting. 

However, the hardest part of the assignment for me was that I so strongly disagree with almost all of Nikky Haley’s policies and views. Both campaigns made an effort to present the most moderate version of the policies possible and to present them in a way that would be most appealing to our liberal leaning student body, but it still was not easy. My most basic convictions conflicted with my attempts to convince my peers to support Haley’s plans to get tough on China or to give states the option to create abortion bans. 

Social media only exacerbated my inner struggle. I received numerous concerned and even angry messages from friends and relatives asking why I was promoting Nikki Haley on my Instagram. This made me realize the extent to which I am surrounded by like-minded people. By stepping outside of my bubble, I learned how to take a step back from my own presumptions. While I still strongly oppose Haley and DeSantis, I am now more informed, and could tell someone exactly why I oppose these politicians.

Mock election was tense and stressful, but it was much more than that. I had a great time at campaign kickoff, walking out to Nicki Minaj flanked by my secret service and delivering my opening speech. I also loved planning out all of my outfits. But my favorite part was working with my classmates. Everyone was assigned a unique role, and I was so impressed by how everything came together. Sometimes it’s hard to realize how lucky we are to be surrounded by such smart people, but during mock election it was obvious. It was hard to hide my smile as the speechwriters briefed me on the witty one-liners they wrote for that day; as the event planners showed up with delicious food each day; as the research team skillfully answered students’ accusatory questions about Haley; and as we ran through a mock debate and my campaign managers knew exactly how to tackle each question. I was constantly awed by my classmates, and I’m so thankful for them. When I was nervous my classmates encouraged me, and when I was stressed someone would crack a joke to ease the tension. 

To be certain, I learned about Nikki Haley and civic engagement, but the most valuable lesson I learned had nothing to do with politics. I am so lucky to go to such a special school with such special people. Yes, Masterman has its downsides. Maybe you don’t love our schedule, or maybe you find the workload to be overbearing. But nowhere else could students run a full mock election where the whole school gets invested, involved, and passionate. So, thank you. At events, you brought energy, insight, and questions forcing us to dig deeper and learn more. Every day I learn from my peers, and I encourage you to do the same. The people around you are pretty awesome—much more so than some of the presidential candidates.