The organization began in 1980, under the direction of Edward Stanley and Gloria Kirshner of NBC News in New York City and was transferred to Tucson when the couple relocated there in 1985. After the death of her husband, Ms. Kirshner continued to direct the project through the first 20 years of its existence. Soon after it began, The Mock Election gained support from many elected leaders as well as from the two national parties. In 1988, TIME and Time Warner joined in to support the National Student Parent Mock Election, support that has continued in every presidential election year.
Corporate support continues to expand.
Microsoft has recently signed on as a new corporate partner, developing software that will help to link state election headquarters with Election Central and enabling many schools to cast and report their votes via the internet. Gloria Kirshner, President of the National Student Parent Mock Election, approached SPAP as she was looking for an Arizona State Coordinator. SPAP used innovative technology to improve participation through many avenues. In addition to traditional approaches that coordinate activities through School Superintendents, SPAP also used Internet technology to provide the Mock Election materials directly to all schools with web access and linked its web page to that of the Arizona Department of Education. In the 1998 election, Arizona students cast over 30,000 votes in the National Student Parent Mock Election .