Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Students raise funds, vote in mock elections
Democracy's junior circuit
By Sue Kiesewetter
Enquirer contributor
HARRISON - Just like a real politician, 13-year-old Justin Foley has had to learn how to think fast on his feet.
For the past five weeks, the Harrison Junior School eighth-grader has taken the role of George W. Bush on the campaign trail. He's appeared in mock television commercials, participated in debates, appeared at rallies, watched the opinion polls and solicited donations from classmates - no one allowed to give more than $2.
"I was nervous starting out," Justin said Monday. "I'm not as nervous now because I'm more prepared. People have helped me research."
Across Southwest Ohio, tens of thousands of students are holding mock elections, taking the role of candidates, learning their platforms and debating one another. The strong interest in this year's presidential election is reflected in the number of schools involved; 250 in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties are taking part.
Most schools are conducting their votes with assistance from Kids Voting of Southwest Ohio, which is affiliated with Kids Voting USA, a national group that encourages students to be informed, lifelong voters.
By 2 p.m. Monday, about 32,000 students locally had cast their ballots, including 4,400 high school students, said Jeanne Rolfes, who heads the Kids Voting of Southwest Ohio. Results won't be available until Wednesday, but in the 2000 election, students in Southwest Ohio gave President Bush a bigger margin of victory than the adults did.
In Hamilton, first- through sixth-graders at 14 elementary schools will vote online today.
![[img]](kids.jpg)
Ashley Hoeffer, a 7th grade student at Harrison Jr. High School, casts a vote during the school's mock presidential election Monday.
(Enquirer photo/CRAIG RUTTLE)
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"Just like the state, I think we're about 50-50 for Bush and Kerry," said Corbin Moore, Hamilton's instructional specialist. "We're hoping the kids' excitement will transfer to their parents, and more people will vote."
At Summit Country Day in Hyde Park, students in Jeanne Cullen's third-grade classroom will vote today.
"To make it more authentic, we wanted to do it Election Day," Cullen said.
Harrison Junior's voting program is home-grown, and not affiliated with Kids Voting. Students cast their paper ballots Monday. They will learn the results during a two-hour rally today.
This is the fourth presidential race in which eighth-grade social studies students have run mock campaigns.
"I think more people have taken an interest this year," said teacher Shawn Sowders, who started this project in 1992. "The biggest thing I noticed this year is, they know the issues better. Everybody believes this election is more important."
For Justin, the hardest part came during a debate open to the public when a parent asked about cutting overtime pay.
"I never really researched that because I never thought anybody would ask. I talked about strengthening the economy. I got away from the question," Justin said.
Logan Meinzer said he would have rather portrayed a Republican candidate instead of John Edwards. To accurately portray the Democratic position, the 13-year-old said the opposite of what he thought.
"It's hard to try to tell somebody something when you don't think it yourself," Logan said. "But I think I swayed a few people. I'm still a Republican, though."
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E-mail suek@infionline.net
Kids Voting facts
Some facts about Kids Voting USA:
• It was started in Phoenix in 1988 and has expanded across the nation. Programs exist in 300 counties in 28 states.
• 1.5 million students are expected to cast ballots across the nation today.
• In each presidential election since Kids Voting began, the students have picked the same candidate who won the real election. In 2000, President Bush got 50 percent of students' votes, while Al Gore got 45 percent; 5 percent went to Ralph Nader and others.
• Online voting began last week in Southwest Ohio and ends at 4 p.m. today. Vote at www.kids-voting.org
Fourteen different ballots were designed in Southwest Ohio. Each has the presidential race and three Kids Voting USA issues:
• Should it be against the law to talk on a cell phone when you're driving a car?
Twenty-seven public school districts and 53 nonpublic or charter schools in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties participate in Kids Voting of Southwest Ohio, the local affiliate. Participating public school districts by county:
