The Chicago Public Schools will kick off what will be one of the largest mock presidential elections in the United States this year. Every student at every CPS high school will have an opportunity to vote in the mock election. Simultaneously, eligible 18-year-old high school students will be registering to vote for the real presidential election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008.

The Chicago Board of Elections will distribute more than 100,000 official mock ballots, similar to the actual 2008 general election ballots, to all 125 high schools.

The League of Women Voters of Illinois, the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, and volunteers from Loyola and DePaul Universities, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois and Democracy for America will help to facilitate and officially oversee the voting and tabulation of the ballots. Each school will report its election results to the League of Women Voters of Illinois’ special mock election website.