Students at Houston Elementary School overwhelmingly voted for Republican John McCain as the next United States president Thursday morning in a mock election.
McCain received 264 votes, well ahead of Democratic nominee Barack Obama’s 143 votes. Students in every elementary grade level selected McCain.
Democrat Jay Nixon won the race for Missouri governor over Republican Kenny Hulshof, 223-154. Nixon received the most support among second, fourth and fifth graders. Hulshof was the winner among the first and third graders.
The mock election, part of the Herald’s Newspaper In Education program that is sponsored by The Bank of Houston, is a byproduct of the 2008 National Student/Parent Mock Election. Houston’s votes were entered into a nationwide online database that will compare its results to those of students across the country.
Obama won the national mock election, receiving 62.1 percent of the votes compared to 34.2 for McCain. In Missouri, Obama topped McCain 53.6 percent to 40.9 percent.
Houston students were given the real-life experience of voting. Election officials – roles played by four teachers – had each voter sign in before they were handed a ballot and ‘I voted’ sticker. Students then voted in a privacy booth before dropping their ballots in a locked box under the supervision of Principal LeAnn Edington.
Here’s a breakdown of class-by-class votes:
Fifth grade:
President: McCain 52, Obama 24
Governor: Nixon 48, Hulshof 26
Fourth grade:
President: McCain 54, Obama 27
Governor: Nixon 52, Hulshof 22
Third grade:
President: McCain 44, Obama 14
Governor: Hulshof 32, Nixon 22
Second grade:
President: McCain 42, Obama 28
Governor: Nixon 44, Hulshof 20
First grade:
President: McCain 42, Obama 24
Governor: Hulshof 28, Nixon 26
Kindergarten:
President: McCain 30, Obama 26
Governor: Nixon 31, Hulshof 26