FARMINGTON – Their minds were made up. They knew how they were going to vote. They were just waiting their turn.
Cascade Brook School students studied the presidential candidates and congressional candidates and the two referendum questions facing Maine voters Nov. 2 for about a month before Tuesday’s mock election.
Cascade Brook students have picked the presidential winner in the past two elections, librarian Patricia Flint said.
By the time votes were counted Tuesday, President Bush won with 155 votes to challenger Sen. John Kerry’s 112. Better Life candidate Ralph Nader received 12 votes; David Cobb, of the Green Independent candidate, received four votes; Constitution Party candidate, Michael Anthony Peroutka received three votes; and Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik received one vote.
In the vote for representative to Congress, students cast 125 votes for incumbent Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud, 77 votes for Republican challenger Brian Hamel and 16 votes for Socialist Equality Party candidate Carl Cooley.
In the two Maine referendum questions, students voted 212-71 to reject Question 1, which deals with limiting property taxes to 1 percent of assessed value. They also voted 170-118 to reject a ban on bear hunting with bait, traps and dogs, except to protect property, public safety or for research.
Fifth-graders were checking off names, staffing the ballot box and passing out paper “I voted” patches to fellow fifth-graders Tuesday morning.
Fourth-graders and sixth-graders voted later in the day.
Steven Yardley, 10, and Jesse Williams, 10, both of Farmington, nicknamed the large, wooden ballot box they tended “Billy, the ballot box.”
Their jobs were to put the paper ballots cast into classroom folders.
Though they weren’t supposed to peek at results, they sometimes couldn’t help it as they unfolded the ballots and placed them in the folders.
North Kay, 11, of Industry, was one of six ballot clerks checking off names of student voters.
They had studied the issues and candidates during library class, Kay said.
They also watched the news, read articles posted on the Internet and discussed voting during classroom breaks.
“I know who I’m going to vote for,” Claire Fletcher, 10, of Farmington said. “My mind is made up. I did look at the good side and the bad side on both questions and studied the major candidates and did look at the other candidates.”
Williams, 10, of Farmington, knew who he was voting for, too.
He didn’t say who it was; he just said it’s pretty obvious.
Fletcher and Leah Atwood, 10, also of Farmington, were passing out mock stickers at the door after students cast their votes.
Atwood said she looked at how the candidates were doing and how they acted, and also how the two referendum questions would affect the state.
She planned to cast her vote for the candidate who she thought would help people, Atwood said.
Dennifer Osborne, 10, of Industry said she also factored into her decision what her parents had to say, watched the signs and the news.
Tiffany Lovejoy, 10, of Chesterville said she, her mother and grandmother discussed the election before she made up her mind.
Flint said students held a mock press conference with Republican, Democrat and independent legislators to discuss the referendum questions.
As part of the event, students also read some funny stories: “My Teacher for President” and “George Washington’s Teeth.”
All students learned how to register to vote, Flint said, in preparation for the mock election.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
