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Washington: The votes are in! Students in the US have chosen President Barack
Obama as the winner of the upcoming presidential election in a
mock vote held by Scholastic, one of the largest publishers of
children's books and magazines in America.
"The students have made their voices heard once again, and it
proved to be a tight race," Elliott Rebhun, editor and publisher
of Scholastic's Social Studies Classroom Magazines, said in an
interview with CNN.
Scholastic has been conducting mock US presidential elections
since 1940, and this year Obama, the Democratic nominee, received
51 percent of the vote, while former Massachusetts Governor Mitt
Romney, the Republican candidate, received 45 percent.
Four percent of students also cast votes for other candidates,
such as their mothers and fathers, Republicans John McCain and
Vice Presidential Nominee Paul Ryan, and US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton.
Scholastic invited people under the age of 18 to cast a vote for
the president by voting on the organisation's website or mailing
in a paper ballot that could be found in one of its classroom
magazines.
Almost 250,000 students throughout the US in elementary through
high school participated in the Scholastic Student Vote, which
took place from Aug 15 until the online poll closed Oct 10.
A majority of students who live in swing states critical in the
election, such as Colorado, Florida, Nevada, and Ohio, chose Obama,
while Romney won Virginia by a slim margin in the mock election.
The results of Scholastic's mock elections have reflected the
correct outcome in all but two presidential races. Students voted
for Thomas E. Dewey, who lost the election to Harry S. Truman in
1948, and they chose Richard Nixon, who lost to John F. Kennedy in
1960.
"The Scholastic Student Vote shows us that students are engaged
and excited about the election, and has provided classroom
teachers with a tool to bring current events to life and teach
students about our country's democratic process," said Rebhun.
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