HOLLISTER
The results are in for the 2008 mock presidential election at Rancho San Justo Middle School, and they indicate that Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain should be happy middle school students can’t legally vote.
“It was a landslide for Obama,” says Lisa Jelinek, the eighth-grade social studies teacher who ran the mock election. She said 699 of 842 students voted for the Democrats.
Overall, Jelinek’s results show that 82.6 percent of the students voted for Democratic Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, 15.4 percent for McCain, 1.2 percent for Ralph Nader and 0.2 percent for Allan Keyes.
It took four days last week to get the entire student body through the voting process, and Rancho San Justo reportedly has the highest student participation rate in the mock election of any school in the three participating counties – San Benito, Monterey and Santa Cruz. The mock election is organized by the League of Women Voters.
And while these kids were too young to vote, students such as 13-year-old Morgan Terra have reasons for their preferences. She says she believes Obama would help middle-class families like hers.
“My mom is a teacher, and he is going to help people with jobs like that,” says Terra, who adds that she thinks Obama is also right about leaving Iraq.
But not every student believes Obama has the right vision for America. Brannon Vierra, also 13, says the test that all eighth-graders took before voting to determine their political leanings shows that he is exactly where he thought he would be, a McCain supporter.
“The test showed quite a few major areas where I matched up with McCain’s beliefs and ideas,” comments Vierra, “like what I believe about the war in Iraq and about Obama needing more experience.”
Jelinek says she made every effort to get the youngsters to “really think critically about the issues.” Besides the test, each student wrote a persuasive essay explaining what they liked about their candidates, and each mock voter also read and responded to articles on current politics and went over the issues at home with their parents.”
“It has been a wonderful learning experience during the entire election process,” summarizes Jelinek.
Thirteen-year-old David Peterson says his religion plays a big role in his support of McCain.
“He supports Proposition 8, and I believe, since I am a Christian, that my religion is against gay marriage, and I believe McCain thinks the same way, that marriage is sacred and between a man and a woman,” explains Peterson, who adds that McCain’s war and P.O.W experience are also factors in his decision.
Sydnee Vega started the class thinking as a GOP supporter, but says she was surprised by the results.
“I am still undecided, reports the eighth-grader, “but I am starting to think I have more beliefs that are like the Democrats.”
Gay rights is one example.
“I just think all people should have equal rights and that it is unfair to ban any kind of marriage.”
