Aiming for College, Electoral at Least

High school sophomores can't vote on state law, but they can write it. Just ask students in Jon Davis's government class at Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger, Ky.: They drafted a bill to change the state's electoral college from a winner-take-all system to one that allocates votes by congressional district. This month the bill passed with a 7-to-2 vote in one committee.

Current Kentucky law gives all eight electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote. But under the students' bill, one vote would be awarded to the winner in each of six districts, and the remaining two votes would go to the winner of the popular vote.

While the bill may be unlikely to become law, Lloyd Memorial Principal John Riehemann says he's very excited for the students. "These kids will be involved in the democratic process for the rest of their lives. You don't get that out of a social studies book."