Students pick Obama in mock election

By Kipp Hanley

Published: November 4, 2008

On Tuesday night, the nation will find out whether Virginia is Obamaland or McCain Country — as stated on a political sign at the corner of Minnieville Road and Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge.

Virginia schools have already produced a decision and it’s no contest. In a nationwide mock election for students from grades one to 12, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama took home nearly 60 percent of the Old Dominion votes to McCain’s 35.5.

Nearly 190,000 Virginia students in 808 participating schools took part in the two-day event run by the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ Youth Leadership Initiative. The Virginia numbers also mirrored the national numbers, with Obama garnering 60 percent of the tallies.

Institute Director of Instruction Meg Heubeck said Obama’s youthful appearance was much more appealing, especially to those students from elementary schools. All students could vote in their respective congressional races as well as the presidential election, but many of the elementary schools voted on just the latter race.

“The young kids really loved Obama,” Heubeck said. “He really resonated with them. I think it was hard for the kids to understand McCain, because he looks so much older than them.”

Several local schools participated, including Gar-Field and Battlefield high schools. At Gar-Field, nearly 300 students cast their votes in the presidential race, with nearly 84 percent of them voting for Obama.

The overwhelming majority of students who voted at Gar-Field were seniors, said government teacher Jim Hunniford.

Hunniford said the buzz generated by the election was enormous. He said Obama’s presidential bid has been a source of excitement in his classroom.

“Everybody’s fired up about it [the election],” said Hunniford.

Because of a technical issue, Battlefield High School’s results were not counted, said government teacher Lauren Miles. However, Miles said the exercise was a beneficial one and that an experience like this year’s might inspire her students to become more involved in the political process when they become adults.

Gar-Field advertised the mock election on its Web site and teachers like Hunniford and Miles did their part by escorting their government classes to designated areas where they could cast their votes.

Hunniford said that ever since the presidential debates began, he has been interjecting the election coverage into his classroom curriculum. He brings in copies of the local newspapers and presents the subject matter in the most objective way he knows how.

And this year’s mock election is a practical learning experience that fits nicely into his lesson plans.

“It opens up a door for us to have a conversation as any good lesson will do, or any good current event will do,” Hunniford said.

In 2004, President Bush won the leadership initiative student vote.

Staff writer Kipp Hanley can be reached at 703-878-8062.