Students at Destrehan High School recently got the chance to vote for U.S. President and Senate, thanks to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office and Dow.

Dow was one of the sponsors for the “mock election”, which was one of several held at schools in various parts of Louisiana by the Secretary of State’s Office. The week before the “mock election,” students learned about the election process through lesson plans provided on the Secretary of State’s web site. James Bertrand, Destrehan’s Social Studies Chairman, worked with Destrehan Senior Trinece Williams to make the mock election a success by passing out brochures with descriptions of the candidates and by speaking to classes regarding the importance of voting.

On the day of Destrehan High School’s mock election, official voting machines were delivered to the school. Dow employee volunteers helped students through the voting process and helped them get over the common “fear” of using the machines. Students took the opportunity seriously as they practiced for the future by participating in one of America’s greatest freedoms – the right to vote. More than 1,200 high school students at Destrehan voted during the “mock election” at the school.

Dow Louisiana Public Affairs Leader Donna Carville said, “Dow and our employee volunteers welcomed this opportunity to help the students in our area learn about our government as a critical part of our society.”

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $33 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 180 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its approximately 46,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. St. Charles Operations is owned by Union Carbide Corporation, which is a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company.