Excellent response at Dornoch Academy to referendum on Scottish Independence

236 of the 274 pupils at the school cast their votes on Tuesday and turned out today (Wednesday 5 March) to hear the result.

97 pupils (41.1%) voted “no” to the question: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”

139 voted (58.9%) “yes”.

0 papers were spoiled.

Senior pupils Sandy Mackay and Jodie Ross acted as the Presiding Officers during the count and the result was announced by Head Teacher John Garvie who thanked everyone involved for their hard work in running the mock election and praised all the young voters for their interest and enthusiasm.

He said: “The process was designed to give young people a taste of what voting is all about and to encourage them to take a full part in the process.  There has been a real buzz about the school over the past few days and it has been good to see the pupils play such a prominent role at every stage. I’m sure those who will be eligible to take part in the Referendum  in September are looking forward to casting their vote for real.”

The mock referendum was organised by the school community in partnership with election officials at The Highland Council and follows a decision by the Council’s Community Planning, Public Engagement and Equalities Committee to involve younger people in voting

Yvonne Ross, Youth Development Officer with High Life Highland said: “The debate that was held the day before voting took place was very professional and reflected the effort and hard work by everyone involved.  I was particularly impressed by how much research the young people taking part had done and how they were able to speak so passionately about topics affecting their future.  The whole process from start to finish has been a great opportunity for pupils to learn about the work that goes into running an election and has given them the chance to discuss and debate important issues that affect them now and in their future .”

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