Ross Gallabrese GRADS VOTE — Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose speaks to students at Steubenville High School during Tuesday's Grads Vote program.

STEUBENVILLE — The results might have been in fun, but Tuesday’s mock election at Steubenville High School focused on teaching students the importance of voting.

“One of our responsibilities of citizenship is being a voter. If you are not voting, you don’t have much business complaining,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose told juniors and seniors inside the Crimson Center.

LaRose was in town as part of the Grads Vote initiative, which takes him to schools across Ohio to teach students the election process using actual voting equipment.

The exercise came just one week before Ohio voters cast ballots in the primary election.

“It’s simply a chance to get out and make sure high school students learn the voting process by doing it,” LaRose said. “Sometimes when you meet adults who don’t vote, maybe they’re in their 20s, 30s or 40s, they say they are intimidated or don’t know what to do. These students don’t have that excuse anymore because they have done it.”

“They have been able to vote on their favorite pizza, their favorite beverage and their favorite NFL team and, of course, that’s for fun,” he added. “What it shows them is how easy it is to be a voter.”

Officials with the Jefferson County Board of Elections set up a polling location inside the gymnasium, and students followed the same steps voters use in Ohio, from check-in to receiving and scanning a ballot.

“What inevitably happens is that after the students vote, they will come to me and get their I Voted sticker, and they will say, ‘That was easy — there’s nothing to it,'” LaRose said.

Steubenville City Schools Superintendent Melinda Young said the program is a valuable teaching tool.

“I think it shows students how important it is to vote and have your voice heard,” she said. “It’s also nice for our students to be able to meet politicians from the state level.”

LaRose, a Republican, emphasized that Ohio elections are run through a bipartisan system.

“Every one of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections is half Democrat and half Republican,” he said. “Members of your county board of elections are Republicans and Democrats, and they like each other. They get along well and work well together because they know their mission is to make sure we have honest and accessible elections where every voice can be heard.”

“It’s not just at the board of elections,” he added. “When you walk into any polling location, half of the people staffing the location are Democrats and half are Republicans.”

After the event, LaRose said the message of civility in politics is especially important.

“I think we saw a near tragedy on Saturday,” he said, referencing a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C. “Unfortunately, that level of anger and vitriol has become all too common. I am a proud Republican, but I also come from a house where my mom was a proud Democrat. We love each other and we can agree to disagree. We should be able to have political debates with our neighbors and friends and still respect each other.”

LaRose reminded students that Ohio offers three ways to vote: early voting at boards of elections, absentee voting by mail or in person between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. All ballots in Ohio are cast on paper.

“Don’t let anybody tell you it’s not easy to vote,” he said. “In Ohio, it’s easy to vote and hard to cheat.”

Frankie DiCarlantonio, a member of the Jefferson County Board of Elections, said the program helps students understand the process.

“It really connects young individuals to the election process,” he said. “It shows them what they can expect when they go to the polls.”

LaRose added that students as young as 17 can serve as poll workers through Ohio’s Youth in the Booth program.

He said every high school senior in the state receives information on how to register to vote and become a poll worker.

During the mock election, students voted on favorites including pizza, beverages and NFL teams. DiCarlo’s won the pizza vote with 40 votes, the Steelers topped the NFL category with 116 votes to the Browns’ 34 and Alani led beverage choices with 82 votes.