Real-World Election Experiences

On Wednesday morning, many heroes entered Journey with some disappointment following Tuesday’s election results. At launch, we watched a concession speech given by Mr. Bill Schuette, and they shared their observations, which were quite remarkable. Here are what the heroes noticed:

• It was different from most speeches I have seen or heard.
• He seemed disappointed.
• He thanked so many people for their help and support.
• There were a lot of filler words.
• There were people next to him that seemed sad and were crying.
• He contacted the winner and wished her well in her new role as Michigan’s Governor. That takes a lot of courage and humility.

The greatest takeaway these heroes shared was in connection with this quest’s Bible Memory (Psalm 47:1-2). God is in control no matter who gets elected. Psalm 47:2 and 8 (NIV) states, “For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.”

This week has been filled with real-world opportunities. We kicked off the week by having the ES and MHS heroes visit Michigan’s Capitol. Many of them even met their State Representative, Thomas A. Albert. Representative Albert was thoroughly impressed with their knowledge regarding the questions he asked about the state and federal government.

Photos from the field trip to Michigan’s Capitol.

Tuesday was another adventure for the ES as they made a visit to an Election Poll. They even watched Mr. Matt vote! While we were there, the heroes made observations about what the voters and volunteers were doing. They found:

• Voters showed their license before voting.
• Sharpies were used on the ballot.
• Ballots are really big.
• When a voter is done, the ballot goes into a machine.
• No pictures are allowed to be taken inside.

The heroes were excited to take these observations to implement them at their upcoming JA Election Exhibition on Thursday, November 15. They look forward to having voter support for their proposals and are eager to see who you elect as Squad Leaders for the next quest.

Poll watching the day of the election.

Have you asked your hero:

1. How many hero talks we had this week?
2. What they made for their proposal on Thursday and Friday?
3. What heroes have made it on the Election Ballot as a Squad Leader Candidate?
4. What the ELS, ES, and MHS heroes are working on during art?
5. What each Proposal is?

Thank you, County Commissioner Emily Post Brieve and Congressman Justin Amash, for sharing your calling and passion with us as an elected official.

First snowfall of the year was a blast!