Mock election precedes vote

By FRANK SCHULTZ ( Contact )   Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2012
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— Elementary school students here will hold their own election the week before the nation chooses its next president.

The mock election will feature simulated candidate appearances next week with high school students impersonating the candidates and their entourages. The vote will be Friday, Nov. 2.

The city's public and private schools have cooperated in this exercise for many presidential elections. Students went overwhelmingly for Barack Obama in 2008.

The kids also accurately predicted the real vote in 1988, 1992 and 1996. But they were wrong in 2000 and 2004, going for Democrats Al Gore and John Kerry over the winner, George W. Bush.

The run-up to the student vote will include presentations about voting and the Electoral College.

Monday through Wednesday, Parker High School students in the Advanced Placement government class will take on the roles of presidential candidates, their spouses, Secret Service agents, etc.

Austin Kessler and Joe Jarstad will take turns portraying President Barack Obama. Travis Hawkinson and Austin McDonald are scheduled to be Vice President Joe Biden.

John Muetz and Colin Murdy will portray Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Tyler Weilbrenner and Jacob Dorsey will be Republican vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan.

The candidates will arrive at elementary schools in their "campaign bus" and debate in front of the students. Each stop is expected to last 30 minutes.

The elementary school children will vote the morning of Friday, Nov. 2.

Votes will be totaled at each school and telephoned to a "newscaster." Students and the community will be able to view the "newscast" starting at 1 p.m. on Janesville cable TV channels 96 and 993.

Officials hope to have a video of the results show online by the evening of Friday, Nov. 2, at janesville.pegcentral.com.

The real election is Tuesday, Nov. 6.

reader COMMENTS
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(7)
Macdaddy
Oct 25, 2012 at 1:35 p.m.
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so the last four elections they all voted for the Democratic nominee. who'd have thunk in a union town with union brain-washed teachers that the disciples, I mean students, would vote the same way.

SHOCKER!

mjoseph
Oct 25, 2012 at 8:20 a.m.
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OBAMA LEADS in OHIO
Time Magazine Poll: Obama, 49 percent; Romney, 44 Percent
Among Ohioans Who Voted Already, Obama 60 Percent, Romney 30 Percent
Ohio has voted for the winning President since 1960.
http://swampland.time.com/2012/10/24/tim...
Go Vote Early, Wisconsin!
Young voters and old alike!

Lar80
Oct 25, 2012 at 6:44 a.m.
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Children are far more influenced by actions and examples than by plattitudes.
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They are always watching
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Are the example setters in their lives wise, hard working, generous? or are they wasteful, lazy, blame the problems of the world on somebody else?
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They are always watching.
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They are impressionable.
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Thankfully when they do get to vote, they are alone in the booth like everybody else :)

Godishere
Oct 24, 2012 at 9:38 p.m.
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First two are honest and good posts. Thanks.

thetruth724
Oct 24, 2012 at 5:13 p.m.
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I wonder who will win their election? Like the teachers don't push their opinions and beliefs onto their students! Not all do but a huge percentage does!

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