A STUDENT mock election at Tavistock College saw a win for Liberal Democrat candidate Bert Rodgers.

The college organised a student-led mock election, based on the principles of the electoral process, to teach students how to elect representatives and what the different political parties stand for.

The college fielded five sixth form students, representing the five main political parties that were standing in the constituency of West Devon and Torridge (Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UKIP).

An independence party, for Devon Independence, was introduced to show students what it would be like to live in an area where a vote for a national party was an option.

The candidates campaigned on their selected party's manifesto and spoke to all year groups in assemblies and at hustings during lunchtimes. An opinion poll of students was organised on the Friday before the General Election — which showed the Green Party easily leading the field. As in the real General Election, however, the opinion polls did not reflect the actual result.

On May 7, about 600 students voted at separate year group polling stations and then teams of sixth formers and staff worked against the clock to tally up the votes, with A-level math's students working out the percentages from the data.

The result, announced by the returning officer for Tavistock College, Helen Salmon, was a win for the Liberal Democrat candidate Bert Rodgers. All the candidates, Jazz Rice, Freya Chambers, Fen Eastaugh, Lily Hillson and Laurie Church, as well as Bert, were congratulated on their hard work.