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But it wasn’t the Sheridan Elementary fifth grade student’s first time showing off his USA-themed outfit — he breaks it out every Fourth of July, Veteran’s Day and Constitution Day, he said — and seeing as Wednesday was a special day for Kully and thousands of students across Lincoln Public Schools, he thought the costume would be fitting.

“If it involves America, I wear it,� Kully said.

Kully, who was also acting as the school’s election commissioner, was one of thousands of LPS students in grades four through 12 to take part in the district’s biennial mock election Wednesday, less than a week ahead of the nation’s highly contested general election on Nov. 5.

Through the mock election — known as Student Vote — students were able to weigh in on upcoming political races and learn about civic duty before they're even of voting age.

On Wednesday, students across the district cast their opinions on several real-life ballot questions, including the presidential race, both U.S. Senate races, the District 1 House of Representatives race and the ballot measure to provide employees in the state with paid sick leave. Sheridan students were also able to vote on the next spirit day theme.

At Sheridan, the small library was transformed into a polling site, decked out with posters about voting, poll booths and ballot boxes. Students were even able to create their own voter IDs that included their name, grade, school, age and a hand-drawn photo of themselves.

Once students had placed their ballots into the box, they were given “I Voted� stickers to cap off the experience.

The goal was for students to feel like they really were casting their ballots in a real election, said Matt McMullin, a fifth grade teacher at Sheridan.

“I think it's important, just in general, to give students the real experience of what anything is. And so I think just setting them up at a young age of seeing why their voice matters, seeing why it's important to vote, seeing what the process is like, it gives them that kind of responsibility, that ownership piece,� he said. “So I think it's important to do that for them, no matter how old they are.�

For Claire Rawson, another Sheridan fifth grade student and fellow election commissioner, the whole experience was exciting. While she didn’t have much prior knowledge about the voting process before Student Vote, she enjoyed learning about it in class and talking with her parents about the topics she would be voting on.

“It felt really empowering, and it felt actually really realistic,� she said. “It felt really real, like you're actually doing something.�

Ahead of the vote, students and teachers across the district discussed the various types of elected positions, how voting works and the importance of students using their voices. Older students in middle and high schools also dove into the real-life issues at hand.

This year, a record 23,103 ballots were cast during the election. In the presidential race between former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and the libertarian candidate Chase Oliver, Harris defeated Trump by just under 1,200 votes. 

A majority of students also voted in favor of Rep. Mike Flood in the House of Representatives race, while Dan Osborn and Preston Love Jr. were the winners of both U.S. Senate races. Additionally, an overwhelming majority of students voted to approve the paid sick leave ballot initiative.

Regardless of the winners on Wednesday, Jaci Kellison, the social studies curriculum specialist at LPS, said her hope is that students will take these experiences with them in the future and remember the importance of informed voting.

“It really allows students to dive deeper into our democratic process, and it allows students to see the importance of voting. It allows students to understand what kinds of decisions voters get to make, why their votes matter, how their vote matters,� she said. “They learn everything about the why, but also the how, and so it really allows them to put that into action.�