DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate will conduct the statewide Iowa Youth Straw Poll on Tuesday, April 24. Thousands of students will cast ballots, picking their choices in Iowa's primary races for governor and U.S. Congress. Secretary Pate will compile the results and announce the winners Tuesday evening.

"The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is a great tool to engage students in a hands-on learning experience. We want them to see that voting can be fun," Secretary Pate said.

Secretary Pate invites every public school, parochial school, homeschooling student and youth group in the state to participate. Each gubernatorial and congressional campaign for the Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian parties have been sent a request to provide a short video from the candidate with a personalized message for Iowa's students.

"The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is a real-world learning activity that teaches students about the principles of democracy and empowers them to build the skills they need to become engaged citizens," Ryan Wise from Iowa Department of Education said.

"Many of the students participating in the Iowa Youth Straw Poll will be able to vote for the first time in 2018, so this is an important voting bloc for the candidates to reach," Secretary Pate said.

Iowa FFA members will cast their votes in the Youth Straw Poll on Monday, April 23 during the organization's state convention in Ames. An estimated 4,000 students will vote during the FFA convention.

Secretary Pate won the 2016 National State Boards of Education Award for Outstanding Leadership in Voter Education for his work in organizing the Iowa Youth Straw Polls and Iowa Youth Caucus.

The Iowa Youth Straw Poll is a component of Elections 101, a free online curriculum developed by Secretary Pate and written by Iowa teachers for Iowa students. The curriculum is available at Elections101.org.

Students, teachers, and organizations can register for the Iowa Youth Straw Poll by clicking here.

###