Birmingham Bears Exercise Their Right to Vote on Election Day | On the Ballot: Extra Recess Or Pajama Day

Lining the halls in anticipation of their turn at the voting booth, students at Birmingham Elementary exercised their right to vote.

On the ballot? A choice between an extra recess or a fun pajama day. Every student at BES had the opportunity to cast their vote in a private voting booth, making their voices heard in this special school election.

Principal Tracy Halligan emphasized the importance of privacy when voting, a key lesson for students as they participated in the election. However, the real excitement came when the students eagerly shared which incentive—extra recess or pajama day—they had cast their ballot for.

“I voted for the extra recess,” fourth-grader James Grayczyk said. “I want to play football more  because we don't have that much time.”

On the other side of the aisle was fourth-grader Parmsukh Kang.

“I voted for pajama day because we’ll be more comfy wearing pj’s,” Kang said.

Much like at a real polling station, these young voters received an “I Voted” sticker after casting their ballot, marking the significance of their participation in the election.

Fourth-grade teacher Elyse Berta believes this real-life preview helps students understand the importance of civic engagement and the voting process.

“It benefits them because they'll know how to do it in real life because they've already done it here,” Berta said. “It also helps them to understand the importance of keeping their votes to themselves.”

And the outcome of the Birmingham Election is…an extra recess!