Tasha Tadi
Spring is very exciting for a lot of reasons, but for many high school juniors and seniors, it signals the end of the year where they advance to college, university, or to their final year as high school students, and excitingly, it signals high school Prom season ahead.
This tradition has changed through the years to what we know it to be today and continues to change to adjust to our daily norms and values. Let's take a look at some of the changes through the years as well as what to expect and how to set up a successful prom election.
Do you know what it takes to run a successful prom election? Find out by downloading our checklist.
A Short History of Prom
In the 19th century, prom was a coming of age celebration for teenagers that included their first dance in their best Sunday attire. In the 1930's, Prom royalty was introduced as a way to motivate and award involvement in school activities and academics. It was a night to celebrate their achievements. As the country started seeing more disposable income in the average family due to economic growth in the 50's, these parties turned glamorous and started to resemble what we currently know prom to be. The venue moved from high school gyms to banquet halls or country clubs, and tuxedos and evening gowns became the expectation.
What are Prom Court Titles?
Prom court is a tradition that honors a select group of students granting them titles that has sparked competition for Prom King and Queen. It is a group of students selected to represent the school. Traditionally, the titles of king and queen were awarded to a senior male and a female student through Votes of the student body on who they believe carries more school spirit. More titles have been created and awarded to often runner ups and others that deserve to be recognized like Princes and princesses who are normally juniors. This is dependent on who is allowed to attend the dance as some schools have expanded the invitation to the junior class.
Today, many schools are shifting to a more inclusive approach to these titles such as Prom Sovereign and Prom Royalty that aren't tied to gender roles. Students are usually the driving force behind these changes and it is done through a democratic process. Gender identity is a big topic among students and they want to ensure their classmates can not only attend, but to be included in the tradition of Prom and get to bring who they desire as their prom date.
Best Approach to Holding Votes for Changes to Tradition:
In pursuit of change, it is crucial to include everyone and to make them feel comfortable to voice their opinion freely and without judgment. To do this, it is important to ensure their votes are anonymous and the best way to do that is through an online platform that offers anonymous voting where you see how many students voted, who voted, and what are the ultimate results. This is a great way to earn trust and to encourage everyone to participate in and also understand the democratic process as they will be taking part in the next national election. Votes are serious matters that require action based on their results, so you want to ensure that they also have all the facts, stats, and whatever other information you feel would be important for them to make an informed decision.
Creating a campaign is critical in your outcome of this event. You want to ensure that you are communicating all the relative information with your voters and to ensure to send reminders to those who have not voted yet. Teens will definitely require reminders and the best way to do that currently is through email text, and announcements at the high school.
It is always a good idea to inform the parents of any campaigns you are running and explain that the democratic process is being practiced and their involvement is appreciated especially in explaining the importance of this process and in preparation of the election.
How are Students Chosen for Prom Court?
The Preparation for this process is very important and it can be described in three phases. First you have the nomination process, then the selection of nominees based on criteria in place or any other means you are using to make your selection, and then the actual election where students vote for their preferred candidates.
The Nomination Process
The Nomination process can be tedious and overwhelming so you want to ensure you offer a very organized way where nominations are collected. eBallot makes it very easy to collect student, faculty, or self nominations in one place and it can be set up in a way that you can separate the juniors and seniors as you see fit and still remain full control over the whole process.
The Selection Process
Let's first look at how candidates are chosen. You need a committee to take part in this process and you want to ensure that there are no biases among the members and the selection process is a fair one. Some schools prefer the selection committee to be made up of faculty and staff, and some allow the students to take part and manage the whole thing.
There are usually eligibility criteria that help the committee choose who ends up on the ballot. These are often based on academic performance, their involvement in sports, clubs and other school activities, their volunteer work or their overall attitude towards the school. For the most part, we have noticed that a positive disciplinary record is also a big factor taken into consideration when selecting the candidates.
Once the select few have been chosen, they must start a campaign to highlight their achievements and contributions to the community, including their positive qualities and school spirit with more and more people. It's not about just finding a dress for the big day, but it's also about gaining support to be able to win on prom night. Getting friends involved in their campaign is a great way to create well rounded messaging to get the votes needed to win.
The Voting Process and Winning!
Voting for prom court is exactly like other school elections. You vote for those you feel should win the role. In more recent years, there have been a few schools that also offer ranked choice voting to see what each person's preferences are. Whichever approach your school takes, there will ultimately be clear winners with the most votes.
The voting process should include:
-
Ballot accessibility (made easy with online voting platforms)
-
Secure and anonymous voting methods
-
Analytics that determine the outcome
A big factor that determines the winner is popularity! As much as we want to make things merit based, at the end of the day most of these elections, especially in schools and when it involves teens, end up being a popularity contest. Popularity is not just about who you know, but how you are perceived by those you don't know personally, and how you make others feel. Your personality plays a big part in your popularity and this has also changed over time. The days of mean girls becoming prom queens or the bully or jock becoming prom king are over. To ensure you have a fighting chance you want to ensure you are liked rather than feared or envied.
Getting the popular vote:
-
Well-known by various student groups
-
Be visibly involved in sports, clubs, student programs
-
Content on your social media
-
Activities or service within your community or the school
After the Prom Night Celebrations
Winning the king, queen, or sovereign honor comes with its responsibilities. The winner should be prepared to follow through leading up to the last few weeks of the school year. They should ensure to remain active and continue to set an example for those that may come after.
How eBallot's Online Voting System Can Help
If you're a member of school faculty or the SGA and you are tasked to run these elections, you may be surprised at how frustrating it can be to collect votes and tabulate the results.
Since casting these votes happens every year, you need a solution that is secure enough to handle a large influx of votes yet easy enough for a trusted student to manage the election.
eBallot has been the online voting system of choice for K-12 schools for many years. Our quick ballot process lets you import candidate images and profiles, so students can make the best decision for their election. We also let you host write-in votes, should your school allow students to nominate anyone within their specific year. Once your election is live, you won't have to worry about counting ballots – we tabulate your results for you in real-time.
Prom season may be filled with excitement and the inevitable drama, but your prom election doesn't have to be. Find out how you can run a simple prom election by touring our K-12 Special Rate.
Don't forget to grab your free prom election checklist by clicking the button below!