Pavlack Law, LLC Attorney Speaks with Students About Elections and Voting

On October 29, Pavlack Law, LLC attorney Colin E. Flora had the privilege of speaking with the 6th graders of Allison Elementary about elections/voting. His presentation was part of Indiana Kids’ Election (IKE). IKE is a program dedicated to helping Indiana students understand elections and to develop a desire to actively participate in the voting process. Mr. Flora opted to participate in the program after being informed of the opportunity by the Indiana State Bar Association.

In Mr. Flora’s words, “As the son of two teachers with a B.A. in political science, I could not envision a more rewarding way to give back to my community.” He found it extremely rewarding to work with the students and was amazed at not only how quickly the kids picked up the material but the quality of questions and understanding that were on display. One such area in which the kids were able to quickly grasp the issues was the topic of the electoral college. Mr. Flora split the students into groups of 3 and 5 with each group having 1 and 2 electoral votes respectively. The students had to make a hugely important decision with their votes – whether Coca Cola or Pepsi is better. Surprisingly, the class went overwhelmingly for Pepsi with the electoral votes following suit. However, in order to illustrate that elections are on more than a single issue, he switched the options to: Choice 1 – Coca Cola, Puppies, and Swimming & Choice 2 – Pepsi, Kittens, and Running. After serious deliberation, the votes were cast. The outcome . . . a popular vote that was more than 2:1 in favor of Choice 1, but an electoral college tie.

After an hour and a half with an amazing group of kids and students, Mr. Flora had one last surprise in store. Thanks to the Indianapolis Bar Association and Indianapolis Bar Foundation, he was able to give each student a booklet with copies of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Indiana Constitution.  He also left the students with one great piece of advice. “An election is a lot like crossing the road. The most important thing to making an informed decision is to look both ways.” Mr. Flora loved every minute of it and looks forward to future involvement in similar programs. He would also like to express his gratitude to both the ISBA and Allison Elementary for allowing him the opportunity for such a rewarding experience.