Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose presented the senior students with more information on the voting registration process. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

MARIETTA — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose visited Marietta High School on Thursday to encourage graduating seniors to become registered voters.

Seniors at the high school were given the opportunity to participate in a mock student vote run by the program Grads Vote Ohio, a statewide initiative with the goal to prepare high school graduates for the voter registration process and participation.

Every spring, voter registration packets are distributed to high schools in Ohio to provide future voters with more information.

Roughly three or four times a month, LaRose has visited high schools in Ohio to speak with students and help them engage in a mock vote experience.

“All of these students are either 18 already or will soon be turning 18, so we want to remind them that part of what’s in their future very soon is the ability to be part of the team that runs elections,” said LaRose. “They’ll get that experience on how it works but at a bare minimum they should be voters.”

Seniors at Marietta High School cast their ballot at the mock student vote in the high school auditorium on Thursday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Partnering with the Washington County Board of Elections, the high school auditorium was packed with participating students and a row of voting booths for the mock vote that took place Thursday afternoon.

The students voted on the ballot which consisted of three questions:

* Who is the best country singer? Morgan Wallen or Luke Combs

* Who is the better football team? Cleveland Browns or Cincinnati Bengals

* What should the official restaurant of Ohio be? The Boathouse or Texas Roadhouse

The ballot consisted of three questions that students were to vote on using systems provided by the Washington County Board of Elections. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Each student voted at a booth and cast their ballot which earned them a voter sticker. The exercise was meant to show the students how the voting process works and what they can expect when they vote in official elections.

“This demonstration showed them how easy it works and there’s no reason to be intimidated by it because it’s pretty simple,” said LaRose.

While the votes were being counted, LaRose spoke to the students about the importance of voting and spoke on the personal experiences he had when he was their age and became a registered voter.

“We also have absentee voting. That means we can mail a ballot to your home and you can sit there at your own kitchen table and vote your ballot and then mail it back to us,” said LaRose.

Students were able to ask questions about anything related to the voting process. They asked questions such as “how do I vote if I go to college in another state?” or “where do I go to update my voter registration?”

Grads Vote Ohio is a statewide program that helps graduating high school seniors learn more about voter registration. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

After the presentation from LaRose, the votes were in and he explained how ballots are counted. The answers to the questions were revealed and the students fully engaged in the activity.

“As I was handing them their stickers they were like ‘yeah, that was easy’ and I reminded them that next year, instead of voting for their favorite country music singer, they could be voting for governor of Ohio, U.S. Senator, member of Congress etc.” said LaRose.

Amber Phipps can be reached at aphipps@newsandsentinel.com

Marietta High School seniors participated in the mock student vote on the stage in the auditorium. Each student lined up to cast their ballot and earn a voter sticker. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose demonstrated how the state breaks a tie by flipping a coin. Two high school seniors participated in the exercise with LaRose. (Photo by Amber Phipps)

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose answered questions from the students and audience on Thursday about voting in the state of Ohio. (Photo by Amber Phipps)