Mock election held at Chuo University Suginami High School

Chuo volunteers give “visiting lecture” for voter education

中大杉並高校で模擬投票実施

 大学生による高校生への主権者教育「出前授業」

 Third graders of Chuo University Suginami High School were gathering at the gym when the chime told the end of the lunch break. Ballot boxes were set in array along the back of the gym and 64 Chuo students were inside the hall waiting for them. Most of the high-school students looked somewhat nervous at the unfamiliar scene.

昼休みのチャイムが鳴り終わると、体育館にぞろぞろと高校3年生たちが集まってきた。体育館の裏手には投票箱が設置され、館内には総勢64人の大学生がいた。いつもとは見慣れない光景に高校生たちは緊張している様子だ。

 

It was on June 29. Members of Vote at Chuo! and volunteer students were there to stage a mock election as part of their voter education program aimed to enlighten the high-school students on citizens’ involvement in politics. Vote at Chuo! is a group organized in 2015 with an idea to “create culture where 30,000 Chuo students will casually go to the polls”. Its routine activities include pitching election publicity campaigns at Chuo’s Tama campus and giving lectures at high schools affiliated with Chuo. It chose Suginami High School for its second such lecture.

 

6月29日、東京・杉並区の中央大学杉並高等学校で、昨年設立された中央大の学生団体「Vote at Chuo!」のメンバーと有志の大学生たちが、高校生に市民と政治の関わりを教える主権者教育の一環として模擬投票を実施した。同団体は「中大生3万人が当たり前に考え、投票に行く文化を創る」を理念に掲げ、学内での選挙広報活動や附属高校への出張授業を行っている。冒頭はその授業風景である。

Lecture, mock poll draw close attention

 

授業、投票に真剣なまなざし

The “visiting lecture” began with an opening address by the president of Vote at Chuo!, Kaori Furuno (a third grader of the Faculty of Law’s Department of Political Science). She asked the high-school students, “What do you think the young people’s turnout in the 2014 winter snap general election was? It was only 30%, which is far from normal.” The students listened to her quietly and earnestly.

この日の出前授業はVote at Chuo!代表の古野香織さん(法学部政治学科3年)の挨拶で始まった。「皆さん、2014年冬の衆院総選挙の若者の投票率はいくらだったと思います? たったの30%なのです。これは正常ではありません。」高校生らは彼女の話に真剣なまなざしを向け、静かに聞き入っていた。

 

When she finished her speech, three Chuo students who acted as candidates in the mock poll showed up on the stage. Each of them presented election pledges aimed to enhance the political awareness of younger people. The presentation was followed by a group discussion by the high-school and university students. In each group, five to six high-school students and one Chuo student exchanged their opinions about the election pledges. What awaited them at the end was voting. Some of the high-school students smiled while casting their ballots. Others looked quite serious. The volunteer students counted the votes and the result was projected on the screen.

 

スピーチが終わると、壇上に候補者を演じる3人の大学生が登場し、それぞれが若者の政治意識向上を図るための独自の選挙公約を発表。そのあと高校生と大学生によるディスカッションが始まった。5、6人の高校生グループの中に大学生が交じり、候補者の政策について意見を交換。ディスカッションが終ると、最後に待つのは投票だ。笑顔を浮かべる者もいれば、真剣な表情をした者もいる。投票が終わると、その場で開票され、壇上のスクリーンに結果が発表さた。

In a tense atmosphere, Natsuko Taniguchi (a third grader of the Faculty of Law’s Department of Political Science) who emceed the event declared, “Candidate B won the election.” The floor was filled with a big round of applause. The lecture came to an end with a closing remark by Nobuyuki Onishi, a history teacher of Suginami High School, who had cooperated with Vote at Chuo! in the event.

 

緊張に包まれる会場で司会の谷口奈摘子さん(法学部政治学科3年)が、当選者の名前を読み上げた。「当選は候補者Bさんです。」発表と同時に会場は拍手に包まれた。最後に、この企画に携わった歴史科の大西信行教諭が終わりの言葉を述べ、出前授業は好評のうちに終了した。


Assuring political neutrality

 

政治的中立性の担保

記者の質問に答える永松さん(写真左)、古野さん(同右)

In an interview with Hakumon Herald afterward, Furuno said, “We could hold this event after six months of elaborate preparations. We had to be very careful because it was the first such event to be organized in Japan after the public announcement (on June 23) of the election. Really we had to go a long way.” She recalled one of the biggest problems upon organizing the lecture and the mock poll had been how to ensure political neutrality. The lowering of the voting right to 18 years in 2015 has posed a major challenge in voter education. Furuno said teachers engaged in political education at high schools actually voice concern over the difficulties in dealing with that neutrality issue.

古野さんは「企画から半年かけて、やっとイベントが開催できました。主権者教育が選挙の公示後に行われるのは史上初の試みであったため、今回のイベント実施までは長い道のりだった」と語る。古野さんによると、イベント実施にあたって問題となったのは「政治的中立性」の担保。選挙年齢引き下げに応じて、主権者教育をどう展開していくかが課題になっているが、教育現場の当事者である教師たちの間には、この政治的中立性をどう保っていくか戸惑の声もあるという。

 

Chinami Nagamatsu (a third grader of the Faculty of Law’s Department of Political Science), another member of the group, added during the interview, “We think the most effective way to enhance high-school students’ political awareness is taking up actual social issues for discussion. But that may possibly infringe on the Public Offices Election Act especially after the public announcement of the upper house election. So, we had a lot of difficulties preparing our plan for the mock poll. I’m relieved now that it’s over with a great success.”

 

「実際の社会問題を取り上げることが、高校生の政治意識を促すには最も効果的だと考えますが、それは参院選公示後の今、公職選挙法に抵触する可能性があります。そのため模擬投票のプランを練ることに大変苦労しましたが、成功してよかったです。」同団体メンバーの永松千波さん(法学部政治学科3年)はこう語る。

After the event, members of Vote at Chuo! were all smiles as they reviewed the questionnaire they had recovered from the high-school students. It indicated that many of them had appreciated the event. Yet, there were some problems to be addressed. One of male group members said, “Many of the high-school students looked not interested at all.” To this, Furuno responded, “We should put priority on inspiring people who are hesitant to take an action despite their interest in politics,” adding, “It’s important for us to create an environment that will help people discuss politics freely. We can begin with people within a radius of five meters like our own family members, friends and close acquaintances.”

イベント終了後、メンバーたちは参加高校生たちからのアンケート結果を見て顔をほころばせた。高校生の反応は良好だったようだ。しかし、同時に反省も多い。「全く関心を示さない学生も多くいた」と、イベント後のミーティングで男性メンバーから声が上がった。この意見に対して古野さんは「私たちは興味や関心があっても行動できない人たちに勇気を与えることを優先する」と語り、「まずは半径5メートル以内の人々、つまり自分の家族や友人、親しい人々と気兼ねなく政治の話をできる環境をつくることが重要だ」と述べた。

Vote at Chuo! said it will continue to host similar “visiting lectures” at other high schools affiliated with Chuo University. Political movements led by its members are likely to become increasingly active. Let’s keep watching how they may help raise the younger people’s political awareness in the next five or 10 years.

Vote at Chuo!は、今後も継続して中央大の他の付属高校で出前授業を行う予定だという。学生が主体となった政治活動は、これからさらに活発になるだろう。5年後、10年後の若者の政治意識がどれほど向上していくか、彼女たちの活動からは目が離せない。

 

(Written by: Hideki Kato(加藤英樹))