Congresswoman Era Gjika, of Colorado, introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives last week in an attempt to change the law so people could be allowed to vote at the age of 16.

“Kids should be allowed to vote at 16 because they’re smart,” she said.

Gjika isn’t really a congresswoman; she’s a fourth-grade student at Wesley Elementary School in Addison who participated in an interactive program where she learned how a bill becomes a law from an actual member of Congress.

U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, R-6th District, of Wheaton, visited the school April 18 to teach students about how the government works.

“It was pretty neat how the process works,” Gjika said. “I learned a lot.”

Roskam used students from two different fourth-grade classes as representatives and senators to teach them the process by which bills are introduced before congressional committees.

“You have to try to teach it at their own level so they can easily understand it,” Roskam said.

Fourth-grade teacher Karen Koch said the program was part of ongoing class work.

“They usually learn about the three branches of government in fourth grade, and how each one works, so this lesson was perfect for them,” she said.

By using the students as actual members of Congress and showing them the process, Koch said the kids were able to understand how the basic legislative process works.

“They already knew about how Congress is chosen, and the number of senators and representatives, so this was a nice refresher course for them,” she said.

Students were walked through the process of how a bill first goes through committee, then on to the full Congress, and then how the president signs it into law or vetoes the bill, sending it into legislative limbo.

Student Marco Vargas said he learned a lot from the presentation.

“It was easier then I thought it was,” he said.

While the process is much more difficult in real life, and can’t be accomplished in 45 minutes, Roskam said the lesson presents a simpler format, putting politics and the Washington “red tape” aside.

Koch said students also focus on the state of Illinois at this grade level, learning how the state government works and the roles of each branch of state government.

“Students seem to get more out of it this way than from reading it in a textbook,” Koch said. “And they had a fun time with it.”